Peaceful, Joyful, Prosperous & Happy New Year of 2022!

What We Think is What We Are … Living in a Peaceful, Joyful, Prosperous & Happy New Year with New Mindset!

Podcast Episode: The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT – LOVE #2

The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL. There is no law against these things.” [Galatians 5:22-23 NLT]

We need to understand that LOVE is the first characteristic of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is well placed at the head of the list, for it permeates all the rest of the attributes. Somehow, if we live a life of LOVE, the other virtues will attend us all the days of our lives. LOVE is the key that unlocks the entire fruit basket of Galatians 5:22-23, as well as permeating in the Love Chapter of the book of 1 Corinthians 13 – New Testament – in the Bible.

If you already knew, understood, received the divine revelation and the truth that sets us free from sin, and from what is in The Gospel – The Good News, and especially you have experienced the Born-Again spiritual awakening (See John 3:3-7), you may skip The Gospel – The Good News below and browse all the way down to the Podcast Message. Thank you.

The Gospel – The Good News

In John 14:6-7 NLT says, “6 Jesus told him, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. 7 If you had really known Me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him!”

This is one of the most basic and important passages in Scripture. How can we know the way to God? Only through our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Way because He is both God and man. By uniting our lives with His, we are united with God. Trust our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the power of the Holy Spirit to take you to our Father God, and all the benefits of being God’s child will be yours.

Our Lord Jesus Christ says, He is the only Way to God the Father. Some people may argue that this way is too narrow. In reality, it is wide enough for the whole world, if the world chooses to accept it. Instead of worrying about how limited it sounds to have only one way, we should be saying, “Thank you, GOD, for providing a sure Way to get to You!”

As the Way, our Lord Jesus Christ is our path to our Father God. As the Truth, He is the reality of all God’s promises. As the Life, He joins His divine life to ours, both now and eternally.

In John 3:16-17 NLT says, “16 “For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.”

The message of The Good News – The Gospel comes to a focus in these verses. God’s love is not static or self-centered; it reaches out and draws others in. Here God sets the pattern of true love, the basis for all love relationships – when we love someone dearly, we are willing to give freely to the point of self-sacrifice. God paid dearly with the life of His Son, the highest price He could pay. Our Lord Jesus Christ accepted our punishment, paid the price for our sins, and then offered us the new life that He had bought for us. When we share the Good News with others, our love must be like our Lord Jesus Christ’s – willingly giving up our own comfort and security so that others might join us in receiving God’s unconditional love.

Some people are repulsed by the idea of eternal life because their lives are miserable. But eternal life is not an extension of a person’s miserable, mortal life; eternal life is God’s life embodied in our Lord Jesus Christ given to all believers now as a guarantee that they will live forever. In eternal life there is no death, sickness, enemy, evil, or sin. When we don’t know Jesus Christ, we make choices as though this life is all we have. In reality, this new life is just the introduction to eternity. Receive this new life by faith and begin to evaluate all that happens from an eternal perspective.

To “believe” is more than intellectual agreement that Jesus Christ is God. It means to put our trust and confidence in Him that He alone can save us. It is to put our Lord Jesus Christ in charge of our present plans and eternal destiny. Believing is both trusting His Words as reliable, and relying on Him for the power to change. If you have never trusted our Lord Jesus Christ, let this promise of everlasting life be yours – and believe. Amen!

The entire Gospel comes to a focus in this verse, John 3:16. God’s love is not just to a certain group of individuals – it is offered to the whole world. God’s agape and unconditional love is not static or self-centered; it reaches out and draws others in.

Again, here God’s actions defined the pattern of true love, the basis for all love relationships – when you love someone, you are willing to sacrifice dearly for that person. Sacrificial love is also practical in seeking ways to meet the needs of those who are loved.

In God’s case, that love was infinitely practical, since it set out to rescue those who had no hope of rescuing themselves. God paid dearly to save us; He gave His only Son, the highest price He could pay.

This offer is made to everyone who believes. Again, to “believe” is more than intellectual agreement that our Lord Jesus Christ is God. It means putting our trust and confidence in Him that He alone can save us. It is to put our Lord Jesus Christ in charge of our present plans and eternal destiny. Believing is both trusting His Words as reliable and relying on Him for the power to change.

Our Lord Jesus Christ accepted our punishment and paid the price for our sins so that we would not perish. Perish does not mean physical death, for everyone has an appointment with God, and will eventually die. Here it refers to eternity apart from God. Those who believe will receive the alternative, the new life that our Lord Jesus Christ bought for us – eternal life with God.

All people are already under God’s judgment because of sin – specifically the sin of not believing in God’s Son (John 16:9). The only way to escape the condemnation is to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, because God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it but to save it. He who believes in Him is saved from God’s judgment. And God wants people to believe.

God may have seemed slow to most if not all of us Born-Again Christian believers, as we faced persecution every day and longed to be delivered. But God is not slow; He just is not on our timetable (Psalm 90:4). Our Lord Jesus Christ is waiting so that more sinners will repent and turn to Him. We must not sit and wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to return, but we should realize that time is short and we have important work to do – sharing the Gospel. Be ready to meet our Lord Jesus Christ any time, even today; yet, let’s plan our course of service as though He may not return for many years. (See 2 Peter 3:8-9).

When we consider ways to communicate the Gospel, we should follow our Lord Jesus Christ’s example. We do not need to condemn unbelievers; they are condemned already. We must tell them about this condemnation and then offer them the way of salvation – faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. When we share the Gospel with others, our love must be like our Lord Jesus Christ’s – willingly giving up our own comfort and security so that others might join us in receiving God’s love. Amen!

We are glad to invite you all to join us in our Zoom Services; Sunday Service at 6 pm and Bible Study on Wednesday at 6 pm, and Praise & Worship/Karaoke on Friday at 7 pm Central Time (CT). Karaoke location TBA.

To Join our Zoom Meetings, just click the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7354863381?pwd=aFJXV0g4S0NZcUNVeGtZZ0NsTHVZUT09

Meeting ID: 735 486 3381
Passcode: 718522

If you have any questions and/or concerns, please don’t hesitate to send them to:

Email: trinityblessings@homefellowshipchurches.org

Podcast Messages & Bible Studies Topic: Fruit of the Holy Spirit, God’s Promises for All Our Every Needs, Books of Leviticus, the Gospel Books (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John), Revelation and Romans, Pastor/Chaplain Elias’ books – “From the Words and Thoughts to the Swords and Battlegrounds”, and “From the Battlegrounds and Wars to the Overcoming and Victories” portions (to be published soon).

Love God, Love People, and Make Disciples,

Pastor/Chaplain Elias Aguilar Busuego Jr PhD DTM

Founding Pastor – Home Fellowship Churches – https://homefellowshipchurches.org

Chaplain – American Legion (AL) District 10 – Texas, AL Post 302 Hutto, TX, formerly at AL Post 447 Round Rock, TX

Notice to Cell Phone Users: Click > To Open the Site Menu – (God’s Promises for All Our Every Needs, Purpose and Mission Statement, Ministries, and Etc.) Using the Three-Lined “Hamburger Icon” at the Top Right of the Screen.

Give Without Loving But No One Can Ever Love Without Giving

In Genesis 1:27-31 NLT says, “27 So God created human beings in His own image.
In the image of God, He created them; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.” 29 Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. 30 And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground – everything that has life.” And that is what happened. 31 Then God looked over all He had made, and He saw that it was very good!”

God made both man and woman in His image (Father God, Word, Holy Spirit > body, soul and spirit). Neither man nor woman is made more in the image of God than the other. From the beginning the Bible places both man and woman at the pinnacle of God’s creation. Neither sex is exalted, and neither is depreciated.

To “be masters over” something is to have absolute authority and control over it. God has ultimate rule over the earth, and He exercises His authority with loving care. When God delegated some of His authority to the human race, He expected us to take responsibility for the environment and the other creatures that share our planet. We must not be careless and wasteful as we fulfill this charge. God was careful how He made this earth. We must not be careless about how we take care of it. Amen!

God saw that all He had created was excellent in every way. We are part of God’s creation, and He is pleased with how He made us. If at times we feel worthless or of little value, let’s remember that God made us for a good reason. We are valuable to Him. Amen!

The Call of Abram

In Psalm 130:1-5 NLT says, “1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” 4 So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 5 He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth – his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran – and headed for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan, 6 Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him.”

It pleased God, who has often been found by people who were not seeking Him, to reveal Himself to Abraham perhaps by a miracle; and the conversion of Abraham is one of the most remarkable in biblical history. The translation “had said,” which is certainly possible although most recent translations give it as simple past (RSV, NASB), might be understood to mean that the call originated in Ur before Abram’s coming to Haran (cf. Genesis 15:7; Acts 7:2-4). If this were the case, Genesis 11 and 12 are silent on the matter, which is curious indeed. His being brought to the knowledge and worship of the true God had probably taken place a considerable time before. This call included three promises: (1) the land of Canaan, (2) his future posterity, (3) God would bless Abram, the result being that through his posterity all the earth would be blessed. It is important to see that God’s call of Abram, and Israel as a nation (Exodus 19:6; Jeremiah 4:2), was not merely to bless Abram and his descendants. He, and later on the nation of Israel, had a mandate to be a light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6). Abram obeyed God’s call, and is mentioned in the NT as a striking example of one who had faith (Hebrews 11:8).

When God called him, Abram moved out in faith from Ur to Haran and finally to Canaan. God then established a covenant with Abram, telling him that he would find a great nation. Not only would this nation be blessed, God said, but the other nations of the earth would be blessed through Abram’s descendants. Israel, the nation that would come from Abram, was to follow God and influence those with whom it came in contact. Through Abram’s family tree, our Lord Jesus Christ was born to save humanity. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, people can have a personal relationship with God and be blessed beyond measure.

God promised to bless Abram and make him famous, but there was one condition. Abram had to do what God wanted him to do. This meant leaving his home and friends and traveling to a new land where God promised to build a great nation from Abram’s family. Abram obeyed, walking away from his home for God’s promise of even greater blessings in the future.

God may be trying to lead us to a place of greater service and usefulness for Him. Don’t let the comfort and security of our present position make us miss God’s plan for us.

God planned to develop a nation of people He would call His own. He called Abram from the godless, self-centered city of Ur to a fertile region called Canaan, where a God-centered, moral nation could be established. Though small in dimension, the land of Canaan was the focal point for most of the history of Israel as well as for the rise of Christianity. This small land given to one man, Abram, has had a tremendous impact on world history.

The presence of Canaanites in the land stands as an obstacle to the land being Abram’s which God had promised; God reiterates His promise in the next verse.

Abram built an altar to the Lord. Altars were used in many religions, but for God’s people, altars were more than places of sacrifice. For them, altars symbolized communion with God and commemorated notable encounters with Him. Built of rough stones and earth, altars often remained in place for years as continual reminders of God’s protection and promises.

God was dealing with Abram not only personally, but with a view to future ages. That land was for his posterity to inhabit as a peculiar people; the seeds of divine knowledge were to be sown there for the benefit of all mankind; and its geographical situation was chosen in divine wisdom as the fittest of all lands to serve as the cradle of a divine revelation designed for the whole world. In addition to this more physical understanding of “seed,” Paul adds that this refers ultimately to our Lord Jesus Christ who would bring salvation (Galatians 3:16). Abram built an altar unto the LORD and by this solemn act of devotion he made an open profession of his faith, established the worship of the true God, and declared his thanksgiving for the promise.

Abram regularly built altars to God for two reasons: (1) for prayer and worship, and (2) as reminders of God’s promise to bless him. Abram couldn’t survive spiritually without regularly renewing his love and loyalty to God. Building altars helped Abram remember that God was at the center of his life. Regular worship helps us remember what God desires and motivates us to obey Him.

So then how are we to view the purpose of God in our lives? God desires that our bodies be the emissaries of communicating His love. Our feet are to carry His message. Our hands are to break His living bread. Our minds are to hold His vision. Our hearts are to beat with His compassion. All of this is to be done in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ who is God and God is love.

The Faith of Abraham

In Romans 4:1-8 NLT says, “1 Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? 2 If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. 3 For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” 4 When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. 5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. 6 David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: 7 “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. 8 Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.”

The Jews were proud to be called children of Abraham. Paul uses Abraham as a good example of someone who was saved by faith. By emphasizing faith, Paul is not saying that God’s law is unimportant (Romans 4:13) but that it is impossible to be saved simply by obeying it.

This Verse 4 means that if a person could earn right standing with God by being good, the granting of that gift wouldn’t be a free act; it would be an obligation. Our self-reliance is futile; all we can do is cast ourselves on God’s mercy and grace. Amen!

In Verse 5 described that when some people learn that they are saved by God through faith, they start to worry. “Do I have enough faith?” they wonder. “Is my faith strong enough to save me?” These people miss the point. It is our Lord Jesus Christ who saves us, not our feelings or actions, and He is strong enough to save us no matter how weak our faith is. Our Lord Jesus Christ offers us salvation as a gift because He loves us, not because we have earned it through our powerful faith. What, then, is the role of faith? Faith is believing and trusting in our Lord Jesus Christ and reaching out to accept His wonderful gift of salvation.

In Verses 6-8 stated this question and described – What can we do to get rid of guilt? King David was guilty of terrible sins – adultery, murder, lying – and yet he experienced the joy of forgiveness. We, too, can have this joy when we (1) quit denying our guilt and recognize that we have sinned, (2) admit our guilt to God and ask for His forgiveness, and (3) let go of our guilt and believe that God has forgiven us. This can be difficult when a sin has taken root in our life over many years, when it is very serious, or when it involves others. We must remember that our Lord Jesus Christ is willing and able to forgive every sin. In view of the tremendous price, He paid on the Cross, it is arrogant to think that there is any sin too great for Him to forgive. Even though our faith is weak, our conscience is sensitive, and our memory haunts us. God’s Word declares that sins confessed are sins forgiven.

In 1 John 1:9 NLT says, “But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

Being God’s people does not mean denying sin (1 John 1:8), but confessing it. Because all people are sinners, our Lord Jesus Christ had to die. Because sin is not completely eradicated from the lives of those who believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, God graciously gave His followers provision for the problem of sin. John explained it here in a nutshell: If we confess . . . He is faithful and just to forgive.

To confess our sins means to agree with God that an act or thought was wrong, to acknowledge this to God, to seek forgiveness, and to make a commitment to not let it happen again. Confession of sins is necessary for maintaining continual fellowship with God, which in turn will enable people to have good fellowship with members of the church community.

Confession is supposed to free people to enjoy fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ. But some Christians do not understand how it works. They feel so guilty that they confess the same sins over and over; then they wonder if they might have forgotten something. Other Christians believe that God forgives them when they confess, but if they died with unconfessed sins, they would be forever lost. These Christians do not understand that God wants to forgive people. He allowed His beloved Son to die just so He could offer them pardon. When people come to our Lord Jesus Christ, He forgives all the sins they have committed or will ever commit. They don’t need to confess the sins of the past all over again, and they don’t need to fear that God will reject them if they don’t keep their slate perfectly clean. Of course, believers should continue to confess their sins, but not because failure to do so will make them lose their salvation. Believers’ relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ is secure. Instead, they should confess so that they can enjoy maximum fellowship and joy with Him.

That God is faithful means He is dependable and keeps His promises. God promises forgiveness, even in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 31:34; Micah 7:19-20). God wants to forgive His people; He wants to maintain close fellowship with them. But this can only happen when the way to Him is cleared of sin’s debris – and that can only happen through confession.

That God is just means that He could not overlook people’s sin. He could not decide to let people get away with sin or to make the penalty less severe. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Sacrifices had been offered for sin, and blood had been spilt from the beginning. This could not change because God does not change. Justice would have to be done in order to decisively deal with sin. But instead of making people pay for their sins, God took the punishment upon Himself through His Son. In this way, justice was done, and the way was paved for God to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. Those who confess their sins to God can trust in His forgiveness because they can trust in His character. Amen!

Our Lord Jesus Christ Asked Simon Peter Three Times

In John 21:15-17 NLT says, “15 After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him. 16 Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. 17 A third time He asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.”

Simon son of John was the name our Lord Jesus Christ had said when He first met this man who would become His disciple (John 1:42). But Peter had not yet proven himself to live up to that name-Peter, “the rock.” According to Luke 24:34, our Lord Jesus Christ had probably met with Peter previously. Our Lord Jesus Christ’s first question to Peter, “Do you love me more than these?” could be translated in three ways: (1) “Do you love me more than these men love me?” (2) “Do you love me more than you love these men?” (3) “Do you love me more than these things?” (that is, the fishing boat, nets, and gear).

Of the three options, the first seems the most appropriate because Peter had boasted that he would never forsake our Lord Jesus Christ, even if all the other disciples did (see Matthew 26:33; Mark 14:29; John 13:37). This was the same as saying that he had more love for our Lord Jesus Christ than the others did.

Peter did just the opposite of what he boasted: He denied our Lord Jesus Christ three times. As a consequence, our Lord Jesus Christ asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” to affirm Peter’s love and commitment. Each time Peter told Jesus, “I love you,” our Lord Jesus Christ exhorted Peter to care for His flock: “Feed my lambs” (John 21:15); “Take care of my sheep” (21:16); “Feed my sheep” (21:17). Lambs and sheep can be taken as words of endearment. Our Lord Jesus Christ’s love and concern is for all believers-the entire “flock” that would grow as a result of the apostles’ ministry.

Our Lord Jesus Christ makes it clear to Peter that those who have drunk of God’s giving love must see that such grace carries with it the obligation to love others. As we love others, we begin to find that we must serve them. When we serve them, we show our love to God by ministering to those He loves.

If giving is the number one evidence of love, then serving those who follow our Lord Jesus Christ is evidence of love for God as well as for others. The generous love of God always motivates us to serve Him. Since He has given all, who are we to think that we could ever please Him by living self-willed lives void of service? Alas, we cannot. Love like His – giving, never-quitting love – demands our all. Amen!

The Lord’s Love for Israel

In Hosea 11:1-9 NLT says, “1 “When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and I called my son out of Egypt. 2 But the more I called to him, the farther he moved from me, offering sacrifices to the images of Baal and burning incense to idols. 3 I myself taught Israel how to walk, leading him along by the hand. But he doesn’t know or even care that it was I who took care of him. 4 I led Israel along with my ropes of kindness and love. I lifted the yoke from his neck, and I myself stooped to feed him.
5 “But since my people refuse to return to me, they will return to Egypt and will be forced to serve Assyria. 6 War will swirl through their cities; their enemies will crash through their gates. They will destroy them, trapping them in their own evil plans.
7 For my people are determined to desert me. They call me the Most High, but they don’t truly honor me. 8 “Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go?
How can I destroy you like Admah or demolish you like Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. 9 No, I will not unleash my fierce anger.
I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy.”

In the final four chapters, Hosea shifts to the theme of God’s intense love for Israel. God had always loved Israel as a parent loves a stubborn child, and that is why He would not release Israel from the consequences of its behavior. The Israelites were sinful, and they would be punished like a rebellious son brought by his parents before the elders (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). All through Israel’s sad history, God repeatedly offered to restore the nation if it would only turn to Him. By stubbornly refusing God’s invitation, the northern kingdom had sealed its doom. It would be destroyed, never to rise again. Even so, Israel as a nation was not finished. A remnant of faithful Israelites would return to Jerusalem, where one day the Messiah would come, offering pardon and reconciliation to all who would faithfully follow Him.

God’s love always provides a motive to praise Him. Once we are overwhelmed by His grace, we can only pause and then burst into hymns of gratitude for such love as this. The imagery of God’s love in the book of Hosea is a call to stop all selfish living and give ourselves to worship. Amen!

In this passage, God describes His great love for the people He calls His own. But in spite of God’s giving love, Israel became disobedient, delinquent child. So, in Verse 8 God laments, ‘How can I give you up, Ephraim?’ God’s giving love is a no-quitting love. How can we respond to such a love? We can exalt Him in worship.

The beginning of all worship is Love. Can those who do not have an intimate relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ praise Him? Can they worship Him if they have not experienced His gift of grace? If those who do not know God’s love could but for one moment stand at the Cross and gaze into the face of our Lord Jesus Christ, they would know how every value they esteem or respect is trivial compared to what they behold in that one brief, thorn-crowned smile of grace.

What is left for us to do but to exalt Him? What is left for us to sing, except “O, come let us adore Him? Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Amen!

This concludes our 2nd Series of the “Fruit of the Holy Spirit – LOVE

Coming Soon!

The author’s next book entitled,

“FROM the BATTLEGROUNDS and WARS to the OVERCOMING and VICTORIES”

Prayer is important (Luke 18:1-8), but the attitude of prayer is vitally important. The people who had great self-confidence and scorned everyone were the Pharisees and other religious leaders who saw themselves as the only ones righteous enough to be acceptable to God. To these people, our Lord Jesus Christ told a story about two men who went to the Temple to pray. These two men were as different as could be: the one was a law-keeping and religious Pharisee, and the other was a dishonest tax collector.

This Pharisee’s actions and his prayer provide a picture of his life and occupation – he was a separatist, but his separatism and desire to remain clean before God had hardened into a lifestyle of self-righteousness. He stood by himself and prayed.

The words of this prayer, however, while probably true, were not prayed in the correct attitude of humility before God. He thanked God that he was not a sinner like everyone else. While the Pharisee was probably not like everyone else in a lot of ways, he erred in thinking that he was “not a sinner.” This Pharisee knew that he was far better than the tax collector he saw praying across the way. Tax collectors were not noted for their honesty, so this Pharisee compared himself favorably, telling God that he himself had never cheated or sinned or committed adultery. And, by the way, he also fasted twice a week and tithed from his income.

This Pharisee was confident of himself and his righteousness, while at the same time despising this other man, even though he, too, was in the Temple praying to the same God. The Pharisee did not welcome the tax collector who may have been seeking God; instead, the Pharisee gloated that he was so much more righteous.

The focus shifts to the tax collector who had come to the Temple and seems to have known full well the extent of his sin. He felt so low that he did not think he could even lift his eyes to heaven into God’s face; instead, he beat his chest (a sign of sorrow), praying for God to be merciful to him. He recognized himself as a sinner. He had been convicted of his sin and had come to the one place where he could find forgiveness. He had come to God, humbly recognizing that he did not deserve mercy.

Surprisingly enough, only the tax collector returned home justified before God. The word “justified” means God’s act of declaring people “not guilty” of sin. Only the tax collector recognized his sin; therefore, he was the only one God justified. The self-righteous Pharisee had said that he had no sin; therefore, there was nothing for God to justify for him. He returned home no different than when he had entered.

The principle is that no one has anything of value to bring to God in order to deserve salvation, mercy, justification, or even a second glance from God. The proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored. Acceptance before God cannot be achieved by good deeds, piety, or any amount of self-proclaimed righteousness.

This passage illustrates why most of us would rather deal with an honest sinner than an ego-driven church member.

Those who focus on how they look to others are those whose religion is mostly performance. Those who know they are sinners, on the other hand, find their needs too great to imagine that they could achieve actor-status before God.

We must remember that our Lord Jesus Christ called the Pharisees hypocrites, and that word means “actor’s mask.” But gentleness is naked – stripped and vulnerable. It never argues that its face is pretty – only honest. So, the tax collector goes home justified because integrity has replaced egotism. Gentleness never appeals to people of power, but it learns worship in the simple acts of openness and integrity. Amen!

Please continue below for the Invitation to meet our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you all!

Now, let’s talk about “Prayer and “Salvation”.

Prayer is the key that unlocks and reveals faith. Effective prayer needs both an attitude of complete dependence and the action of asking. Prayer demonstrates complete reliance on God. Thus, there is no substitute for prayer, especially in situations that seem impossible.

So, let our hearts and minds in tune with God, in the power of God, the Holy Spirit. Let’s continuously and persistently pray for God’s perfect will be done. We as Born-Again Christians have been tried and cleansed, we have moved freely into a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ that is more powerful than it was before our trials. We are at home in the presence and fellowship of God, for we are heirs with our Lord Jesus Christ, more like Him that we could ever have dreamed possible. So, let’s continuously and persistently pray for God’s perfect will be done. Amen!

The principle is that no one has anything of value to bring to God in order to deserve salvation, mercy, justification, or even a second glance from God. The proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored. Acceptance before God cannot be achieved by good deeds, piety, or any amount of self-proclaimed righteousness.

Let’s never get over the effect of God’s saving transformation on people’s lives. People who were lost in sin, filled with anger and bitterness, give up their hatred and become approachable as we have studied and learned last time. That is, of course, why we minister to others. Those of us who minister are not people to whom (fruit of the Holy Spirit) love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control comes naturally. We are people who have been remodeled by grace. We thankfully leave our old natures far behind as we embrace the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, the first of the list > agape love of God, and in our treatment of others. Amen!

Sunday by Sunday as we come to worship, let me encourage our brothers – and sisters-in-Christ, and I want my readers and listeners to be both strong in the faith and sensitive to others’ needs. Because all, we as Born-Again Christian believers are strong in certain areas and weak in others. We constantly need to monitor the effects of our behavior on others.

In these LOVE Series of Podcast, we will learn the following PURPOSES of this fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT:

• To truly experience love and forgiveness
• To learn to love unconditionally
• To learn how to give and serve with love
• To know and understand the true definition of love
• To understand and capture the passion of God
• Learn to be compassionate and how to worship
• To understand that love is the first characteristic of the fruit of Spirit. It is well placed at the head of the list, for it permeates all the rest of the attributes. Somehow, if we live a life of love, the other virtues will attend us all the days of our lives. Love is the key that unlocks the entire fruit basket of Galatians 5:22-23, as well as permeating 1 Corinthians 13.

On every Podcast, I always have three (3) questions we can answer from only these two (2) Sources: The Bible and the Guidance of the Holy Spirit. The following are:

First is about our > Observation: What do these passages or Scriptures say to you?

Second is about our own > Interpretation: What do these passages or Scriptures mean to you?

Third is about how we can apply > Application: How do the meaning of these passages or Scriptures apply to you or to your situation?

If you are not sure that you are Born-Again Christian believer or you have relatives, loved ones, friends, neighbors, and people in your circle of influence, please take a look and/or guide them to one of our ministries, “An Invitation to Meet Our Lord Jesus Christ” at https://homefellowshipchurches.org/an-invitation-to-meet-our-lord-jesus-christ/

Let’s give an opportunity for the lost souls to experience on being Born-Again Christian as explained by our Lord Jesus Christ in the book of John 3 in the New Testament of the Bible.

It is as simple as A, B, & C > Admit, Believe, & Confess. All Born-Again Christian believers prayed this simple prayer, we called “Sinner’s Prayer”

“Father God, I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ. I acknowledge and admit that I am a sinner and I need a Savior. I believe and have faith in Jesus Christ who was born of Virgin Mary, died on the Cross for the penalty of my sins, and rose again that I may have the eternal life. I confess and declare Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord of my life. Please comfort, guide, and help me Holy Spirit to live and grow in my spiritual life according to Your Words, purpose, and perfect will of God, in my Lord Jesus Christ name, Amen!”

If you prayed this, “Sinner’s Prayer” sincerely in your heart, you are Born-Again Christian believer. However, you are a spiritual baby who needs to grow up. (See 1 Peter 2:2). You need to find a church or fellowship to grow spiritually. We are glad to establish or bring the fellowship to your own home if it is safer by appointment.

Now, let me pray for all of you:

Father God, we come into your presence in our Lord Jesus Christ name, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ for Your agape love and forgiveness you have done on the Cross of Calvary, and continue to intercede for us in prayer. Thank you, Holy Spirit as our Helper and Comforter. Thank you for the wisdom, knowledge, understanding, courage and strength. We cling, yield, plug-in and tune-in to you Holy Spirit to help us understand God’s Words, obey them, receive Your divine revelation, know the Truth that sets us free, and apply them in our lives, in our Lord Jesus Christ name, Amen!”

Let’s praise and worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Give all thanks to God for all answered prayers.

Please send your > Praise Reports (answered prayers) and New Prayer Requests via email to: trinityblessings@homefellowshipchurches.org. God bless you all and our families!

A Message to be Blessed:

A Call to Repentance and Be Blessed

In Malachi 3:7-15 AMPC says, “7 Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’ 8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it”, says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” [Malachi 2:2.] 11 “And I will rebuke the devourer (insects and plagues) for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruits before the time in the field,” says the Lord of hosts. 12 “And all nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight”, says the Lord of hosts.

If the people would obey God, giving as they should, God would flood His people with blessings. There would be an overabundance of God’s blessing if He was given what He requested.

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse – See 2 Chronicles 31:11; cf. 1 Chronicles 26:20; Nehemiah 10:38; 13:5, 12. If the temple storehouses were empty, it was the people’s fault. God had already blessed them with enough to give a little back to Him.

Instead of destroying our crops (blessings), God would make them come in greater abundance than we had ever imagined possible (Amos 4:9; Haggai 2:19; Zechariah 8:12). The devourer – probably referring to locusts, though the word here is general in meaning (Baldwin). In the Near East, locust swarms are known for their ability to damage huge tracts of agricultural land (see note on Joel 1:4).

A delightsome land – All of the blessings promised to Jacob would come to pass if the people would obey God (Deuteronomy 33:29; Zechariah 8:13). Their land would be a delight to all who saw it (Daniel 8:9).

The problem in Malachi 3:7-12 was the people’s departure from God as reflected by their neglect of tithes and offerings. Two annual tithes were required according to Israelite law – one for the Levites (Leviticus 27:30; Numbers 18:21), and one to be used in worship at the annual feasts in Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 14:22). A tithe was required every three years to provide for the needs of the poor (Deuteronomy 14:28-29). There is debate as to whether this tithe for the poor was in addition to or served as a substitute for the tithe used in worship.

The New Testament pattern for tithing is proportionate giving – a person is to give “in relation to what you have earned” (1 Corinthians 16:2). Certainly a tithe should be given proportionate to one’s wealth, but not all proportionate giving is a tithe.

The anticipation of blessing for obedience to God’s command to tithe was based on the Mosaic covenant, which promised blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience (Malachi 3:10; cf. Deuteronomy 28:15-68). Generally, God will meet the needs of His own people (Psalm 34:9-10; Philippians 4:19), but that is not an unconditional guarantee. There certainly were and are exceptions. Yet, where God chooses not to provide physically, He gives sufficient grace to go without (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The problem in Malachi 3:14-15 was that the people were guilty of arrogant words against God. They were saying, “There is no prophet who is serving God,” and “God is not concerned about justice.” God responded by showing that He did distinguish between the wicked and the righteous. The righteous would be blessed, and the wicked would be judged.

A Call to – Make A Difference – Generous Giving

In 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 NLT says, “1 Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in His kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. 2 They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. 3 For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. 4 They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem. 5 They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do. 6 So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of giving. 7 Since you excel in so many ways – in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us – I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving. 8 I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches. 9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. 10 Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. 11 Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have. 12 Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. 13 Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. 14 Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal. 15 As the Scriptures say, “Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough.”.

Paul, writing from Macedonia, hoped that news of the generosity of these churches would encourage the Corinthian believers and motivate them to solve their problems and unite in fellowship.

During his third missionary journey, Paul had collected money for the impoverished believers in Jerusalem. The churches in Macedonia – Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea – had given money even though they were poor, and they had sacrificially given more than Paul expected. Although they were poor themselves, they wanted to help. The amount we give is not as important as why and how we give. God does not want us to give grudgingly. Instead, He wants us to give as these churches did – out of dedication to our Lord Jesus Christ, love for fellow believers, the joy of helping those in need, as well as the fact that it was simply the good and right thing to do. How well does your giving measure up to the standards set by the Macedonian churches?

The Kingdom of God spreads through believers’ concern and eagerness to help others. Here we see several churches joining to help others beyond their own circle of friends and their own city. Let’s explore ways that we might link up with a ministry outside our city, either through your church/fellowship or through a Born-Again Christian organization such as Convoy of Hope – The Bridge Church -Hutto, Texas (My adopted local home church). By joining with other believers to do God’s work, we increase Christian unity and help the Kingdom grow. Amen!

The Corinthian believers excelled in everything – they had faith, gifted speakers, knowledge, enthusiasm, and love. Paul wanted them to also be leaders in giving. Giving is a natural response of love. Paul did not order the Corinthians to give, but he encouraged them to prove that their love was real. When we love someone, we want to give that person our time and attention and provide for his or her needs. If we refuse to help, our love is not as genuine as we say.

There is no evidence that our Lord Jesus Christ was any poorer than most first-century Palestinians; rather, our Lord Jesus Christ became poor by giving up His rights as God and becoming human. In His incarnation, God voluntarily became man – the person Jesus of Nazareth. As a man, our Lord Jesus Christ was subject to place, time, and other human limitations. He did not give up His eternal power when He became human, but He did set aside His glory and His rights (see Philippians 2:5-7). In response to the Father’s will, He limited His power and knowledge. Our Lord Jesus Christ became “poor” when He became human because He set aside so much. Yet by doing so, He made us “rich” because we received salvation and eternal life.
What made our Lord Jesus Christ’s humanity unique was His freedom from sin. In our Lord Jesus Christ, we can see every attribute of God’s character. The Incarnation is explained further in these Bible passages: John 1:1-14; Romans 1:2-5; Philippians 2:6-11; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 1:1-3.

The Christians in the Corinthian church had money, and apparently, they had planned to collect money for the Jerusalem church a year previously (see also 2 Corinthians 9:2). Paul challenges them to act on their plans.

Four principles of giving emerge here: (1) Our willingness to give enthusiastically is more important than the amount we give; (2) We should strive to fulfill our financial commitments; (3) If we give to others in need, they will, in turn, help us when we are in need; (4) We should give as a response to our Lord Jesus Christ, not for anything we can get out of it. How we give reflects our devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!