Sunday, April 16, 2017
Is He Alive Today?
Topic: Holiday
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. (I Corinthians 15:3-8 KJV)
Even though Jesus died on Wednesday evening, not on Good Friday, and resurrected on Saturday evening, we celebrate Resurrection Sunday as He is still alive and active God. He still wants to have personal relationship with each of us. I understand that there are many celebrations going on Easter as well as Christmas on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Why these two holidays are the popular in the world? These holidays were originally arrived from the pagan holidays and they Christianized through Roman Catholicism between around 300 and 400 AD.
If Jesus died on Good Friday, as the world taught, and resurrected on Easter Sunday, then God lied throughout the Scriptures and His Words would not be benefit to us. Hebrews 6:18 said that He cannot lie. If He does, then our faiths in Him would become worthless and we would not be existed today. The only sign that Jesus gave to His disciples about His death and resurrection was the sign of Jonah in Matthew 12:40, "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." I don't know how we can get three days and three nights from the world standard of Easter. The word Easter, in world standard, refers to pagan goddess, Ishtar; however, in King James Version in Acts 12:4, it refers to Passover. It never had mentioned the word Easter as the day of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Also, Easter bunny is represented as goddess of Sex, which we see the bunny symbol at the adult night club. If you understand the concept of Roman Catholicism and Paganism, you would find that many our traditions and holidays arrived from these two religions.
Jesus was the Passover the Lamb, which it means that He cannot be in the tomb close to the beginning of Sabbath (Friday at 6:01pm) and He needed to be in His tomb after Sabbath Day (Saturday at 6:00pm) to complete it. Most of us may believe that Jesus rose from the dead on early Sunday morning, which we came up with Sun Rising Service on Sunday. Actually, the pagan worshipped the goddess of Sun. If we read the text in the Bible, it says in Matthew 28:1, "…it began toward the first day of the week…" When the new day began? On evening as we read in Genesis 1:5. Of course, in early era, people didn't have calendar to tell which month they were in. Instead, they used the moon system to tell the month. Of course, after He rose from the dead, Jesus stayed fifty more days to be with His people before He ascent to Heaven.
Are you saved? Are your love ones and friends saved in the grace of God through Jesus Christ? The purpose of this article is to help you to become closer relationship with Jesus Christ. As Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms, if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:1-3.)
If you are lukewarm in your relationship with Jesus Christ and want to know Him as your personal Savior and Lord of your life, please consider asking Him to forgive your sins and invite Him into your life. Paul says, "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 believed and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." (Romans 10:9-10.) If you have done in your private room or workplace, then you need to tell to your friends or love ones about what you have done, so they may rejoice with you and want to have that relationship with Christ in their own life. There are many occults in the world, which do not know the love of God and His great plan for those who believe in Him. As it is written in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
James Rapp
MGJC Web: www.mgjcweb.org
Posted by MGJC Web Ministry
at 12:01 AM EDT
Updated: Thursday, April 20, 2017 12:31 AM EDT
Sunday, October 5, 2014
True Worshippers
Topic: Holiday
God
is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship
him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24 KJV)
Beginning on October 31st, we will arrive to difficult and exciting season of the year. Few Christians may understand that Halloween is celebration for the satanic activities. What were some people worshipping between October 31st and November 1st? According to the most references lead that some people worship Satan on the High Holy Day (October 31-November 1). This is why the most kids go out for the Trick or Treat. They do not know what they’d receive until they knock the door. It’s fun, but bad it’s practice for the kids to participate in. Matthew 7:10 says, “…if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?”
As I said the holiday season is the most exciting and difficult season of the year. Why I said that? Even though the holiday season is the time for us to gather with love ones, we often forget to give honor and worship God during this time of the year. Most American Christian holidays are not actual from the biblical standard viewpoints, if we’d look into both Christian and secular sources. But, it is also time for us to gather with friends and family to worship God and share the Gospel messages to those who do not have Jesus Christ in their lives.
Over many years, Halloween and many pagan holidays have been entered into churches successfully and Christianized them. For example, Jesus was born on Christmas Day, even though Christmas did not exist until 300-400 years later by the one of Roman Catholic Popes. The actual season, when Jesus was born, was during the springtime of 6 BC (compare with Luke 2).
Why I brought all these aspects of holiday season? First, most today’s churches are not like 50 or 100 years ago. We do not see many miracles within the church than 50 or 100 years ago. We have lost in contact with God. As we see on the media, many televangelists have preached more about how we can receive blessing from God than developing our relationship with Him. We need to seek His face than His hands and God will pour out His blessing upon us. We do not need to bring our requests to Him because He already knows what we need. God is our Abba (Father). In fact, we do not need to go to the priest or pastor to confess our sins, because Jesus is the Mediator between God and men (I Timothy 2:6).
Secondly, many America churches have emerged with the world system that can’t tell what it is from God or the world. For example, most today’s Contemporary Christian Music are almost similar to the secular music lyrics or tune. When I listen to some CCM on the TV or radio, I hardly feel the anointed of the Holy Spirit due to the mixture with the worldly tune or lyric. This is the same thing on anointing when we listen to the sermons on today’s media.
We need to return to what Joshua said to his people. Joshua 24:14-15 says, “Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Did you feel the anointing on these two verses? We have to choose who we worship. I brought the Halloween subject because many churches have adopted this satanic tradition, along with Christmas and Easter. There are some of us do not know this dark secret of America holiday traditions because preachers may do not like to bring the subject to the pulpit or they are more concern with maintaining their congregations.
Let me ask you this question. Do you want to have deeper relationship with Jesus Christ? I didn’t know about the Halloween or CCM really mean until God opened my spiritual eyes. If you like to receive the revelation from God, I like to encourage you to develop your personal relationship with Jesus Christ today. First, confess your sins and invite Jesus Christ to your life. Paul said in Romans 10:9-11, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” There is no sinner prayer formula. Instead, you just talk to God at where you are now. Secondly, I’d like to encourage you to find a good solid biblical teaching church and Christian friends. They can help you to build strong relationship with God. If you’d need further assistance, you can email me at mgjcwebminstries@mgjcweb.org or visit my ministries website at www.mgjcweb.org for further resources.
Posted by MGJC Web Ministry
at 10:42 PM EDT
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Who is the King of Jew?
Topic: Holiday
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11 KJV)
Even though Christmas was originated from Roman Catholicism, I’d like to take few moments to explain who is the King of Jew. Most today’s churches recognize that Matthew 2 and Luke 1-2 explain the story of first Christmas. There is no biblical evidence that the first church celebrated this religious holiday. In fact, we will find many Christmas traditions came from the pagan practice, such as Christmas tree (Jeremiah 10).
We read in the Scripture that Jesus was born in Bethlehem through Virgin Mother Mary. He came to the world to pay our sins and establish relationship with us. Even though He can set free Himself from the cross, He “humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” We cannot do this for our loved ones, but Jesus did. Unlike the kings of the nation, Jesus had done more to identify with us. This is why Paul wrote, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Yes, Jesus will come back to set His government on earth with us. In the meantime, we need to get ready for His coming as today is our last day.
If you’d like to know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, I’d like to encourage you to do two simple things. First, confess your sins and invite Jesus Christ to your life. Paul said in Romans 10:9-11, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” There is no sinner prayer formula. Instead, you just talk to God at where you are now. Secondly, I’d like to encourage you to find a good solid biblical teaching church and Christian friends. They can help you to build strong relationship with God.
Posted by MGJC Web Ministry
at 12:01 AM EST
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Ultimate Gift for Eternality
Topic: Holiday
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11 KJV)
I’d like to ask you something. What is your ultimate gift for eternality? Even though I do not support Christmas as Christian holiday, we all like to receive gifts from someone during this holiday season. In this passage, we read that Jesus received three gifts from these wise men. We do not know how many men were there. Most holiday cards may tell us three wise men because of three gifts are mentioned in Matthew 2. However, there may have more than just three wise men or sorcerers. We don’t know the exact numbers of audience there.
The number of three represents Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (Spirit).
What is God’s given-gift for us? Even though this is silly question, God gave us everything. The most precious gift that He gave us was the He brought His Son, Jesus, to the earth to pay our sins on the cross and resurrected on the third day to live in us. I believe John 3:16 is referring to those who accepted Jesus Christ as their own personal Savior. He gave all of us the same invitation, but some of us have declined His free gift. Some may have fallen in love with fame, wealth and power that they could not make room for Jesus in their lives. Some may have fallen n love with spending too much to watch TV programs. I like when the TV program ran from 5 am to 10 am and 5 pm to 10 pm, but any of us can watch 24 hrs. a day now. It’s all about having some comfortable couch times rather than making production. This is why we see some churches have fallen from its foundation. Some churches have misused God-given gifts over the last six decades.
We need to go back to the basic and learn from our mistakes. It is not enough for us to enter to the sanctuary to spend with God only on Sundays, Easter, or Christmas. These days are useless to God, because He needs us to spend quality time every single moment. That is how much God love us. But the question is: Are you going to let Him?
Posted by MGJC Web Ministry
at 12:01 AM EST
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Holiday Gift Exchange
Topic: Holiday
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Mark 8:36-37 KJV)
December 25th is the Christmas that everybody in the world can celebrate as whole. Some people celebrate this religious holiday as the mark of the birth of Jesus Christ, even though there is no biblical reference to His birth on December 25, 3 BC.
Exchanging gifts on this holiday season is good. But exchanging your soul to other things is not pleased to God. The month of December has filled with holidays, mostly relate to Christmas (Catholic term for Christ-Mass). We often so caught up with Christmas shopping, Christmas Eve Services, Christmas list for Santa Clause, and other things that don’t necessary relate to worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now, we often hear that many churches are trying to save Christmas from the secular world viewpoint. Even Jack van Impe said that the world doesn’t anything to do with Christ’s birth on Christmas. Even though I am against the secular world view on any subject, I would go for this, because Jesus Christ was born on springtime and not on the winter and the first Christmas was on couple hundred years later after Jesus ascent to Heaven.
However, we can give one precious gift that we can share with our community during this holiday (Holy Day) season. We can share the gift of the salvation that God gave it to us. God brought His Son, Jesus Christ, to the world to pay our debts of sins for us. Even though He didn’t deserve to die, He died on the cross because He loved us so much (Romans 5:8) and resurrected on the third day (full 72 hours) to demonstrate that we can have relationship with Him for eternality.
We don’t need to have Christmas to celebrate Jesus’ birth because it is useless to His kingdom and does not associate with His birthday. But God has a gift to give for those who would accept it. The gift is the gift of salvation.
Posted by MGJC Web Ministry
at 12:01 AM EST
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Greater Relationship
Topic: Holiday
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13 KJV)
What greatest gift have you ever given to your spouse or friend? Or what greatest gift have you ever received from your spouse or friend? If it is love for self-pressured, then your love for that person would have deadline. Your love would become useless. It is sad thing for me to hear that the American churches are more into selling themselves to the world as greatest evangelists rather than working as God’s servants for His lost people.
Even though I’m not against the works of evangelism, there are many preachers out in other countries for fame, power, and wealth. As we see today, many people have learned that giving money to the television ministries are the ways to receive their gift of blessings from God. The works of ministries are not about getting fortune, but they are about reaching the lost souls to Jesus Christ. Put away our own desire moment and start thinking how to bless other people in our communities with using God-given talents and skills. Apostle Paul said in Philippians 2:4, “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”
The greatest gift that we ever received from God was the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sins. Jesus didn’t say in John 15:13 to glorify Himself. No! He tried to teach His disciples about the value of friendship. Proverbs 17:10 says, “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
Jesus did the only thing for us that no other gods can do. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).” Allah, Krishna , Buddha, or Virgin Mary didn’t die for our sins. Even though God let Virgin Mary to be the mother of His Son, Jesus, she lived as we are living. She didn’t have any special divine power or wasn’t sinless. But God choose her to bring forth His Son to the world.
If we read Luke 1-2, the angels of God didn’t start to appear to rich people to bring the announcement to the world, but to the shepherds. Even though God loves and cares for everybody, He especially is looking for unfortunate people in spirits.
Posted by MGJC Web Ministry
at 12:01 AM EST
Saturday, November 24, 2007
No Other Gods
Topic: Holiday
Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me… (Exodus 20:3-5 KJV)
The first Ten Commandments are basic structure of relationship with God and humanity. But if we look at the first three, we notice that we should have no other gods, except Him, to worship. To have relationship with Him, we need to throw our gods away and falling unto His knees.
Now it’s almost to Christmas (Christ’s Mass) time of the year. We often time busy ourselves to ready for the holiday. In this time of the year, we sometime forget to give honor and glory to our Lord Jesus Christ.
To have relationship with Jesus Christ, we’d need to have right mindset of relationship with God. The Ten Commandments are telling us how much God wants to love and take care of us, rather than laying down some restriction laws for us to follow.
What other gods we have to displease our God? John tells us in I John 2:15-16, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” One of examples that God displeases is if we’d decide to display the Christmas tree in our homes. This reference came from Jeremiah 10, when God’s people followed the ritual traditions of Babylon when they were in captivity.
In Exodus 34:14 told us, “For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God…” Jesus told us in Matthew 6:24, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
Do you have relationship with God? Or is money or things in the world considered as gods? We can have Islamic faiths, but we cannot have lovely relationship with Allah. Instead, we have to do the religious duties, such as pray five times a day and learn to be enemies to Jews and Christians, to reach our relationship with Allah. Unfortunately, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel doesn’t require these religious rituals from us. Instead, God brought down His Son, Jesus, to be sacrificial offering for our sins by dying on the Cross. But Jesus resurrected on the third day to live in us.
Posted by MGJC Web Ministry
at 12:01 AM EST
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