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Pastor's Corner |
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3/7/99 |
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A rainbow has many colors; which
is caused by many atmospheric conditions coming together to form that beauty. A
cake is made up of many ingredients which must come together in just the right
combination (and climatic conditions) in order to become the perfect culinary
pleasure. And the human body is alive because of it’s many parts which work so
perfectly together. The Creator has made all things to have complexity and
perfect harmony. It testifies of His glory! |
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What happens if you take away
even one item from any of these perfectly synchronized creations? Death, decay,
or disappearance is the result. Without rain or sun, the rainbow is gone.
Without an organ functioning correctly a person dies. Leave out the egg in a
cake and the goo becomes no longer consumable. No pleasure, no beauty, no life,
and no glory to God are the final consequence of the loss of even a single
element. |
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Now consider for a moment your
spiritual existence; which God has so graciously offered to you. He has clearly
told you what components need to be nurtured in order for you spirit-life to
become glorious. Firstly, He said you must abide in His Word. He said that faith
comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Secondly, He said that you
must pray in your closet; that your Father would reward you openly for what you
do privately in that place. Thirdly, He said that you must resist the devil, and
cast out devils; if you do so, then they will run away. Fourthly, He said that
you must become of one mind, and one heart with the family of God; if you do,
you will receive more of the Spirit of God. Fifthly, He said that you must learn
to live in the Spirit and walk in the Spirit; so that you can have the fruits of
the Spirit. Sixthly, He said that you must zealously seek the gifts of the Holy
Spirit which He so eagerly wants to distribute; the best gifts are yours for the
asking. This one is so that you will be Spirit led. Lastly, He said that you
must bear fruit, and you must double your talents. You must work for Him while
it is yet day; and that He will reward you if you do. |
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If these factors all come
together in ONE human being the result is GOD MANIFEST IN FLESH! You see the sum
of the parts is ALWAYS something not seen until the parts are complete and in
harmony. A rainbow is the PRODUCT of all it’s elements. A cake is so called
because it is no longer just flour! And a human life is NOT ALIVE if the soul is
gone! Even so, the glory of God IN YOU cannot be seen if you ignore any one
aspect from the list of spiritual essences which you must fashion into your
character. In order to show forth the LIGHT, you must first become a complete
LAMP. Quickly assemble the parts that you have forgotten (or neglected) AND
WATCH THE GLORY OF GOD FALL! |
© Anthony J. Massotti Th.M., Th.M.
3/7/1999
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3/14/99 |
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A picture paints a thousand
words" - Famous Quote |
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And God said within His heart:
How can I let them know that I love them? How can I possibly communicate the
depths of my thoughts to them? I created them and they deserted me; but I hold
no grudge. I gave them life and a world of goodness, but they gave themselves
and my creation over to the vile, wrathful, cherub who rebelled against me. Yet
I hold them no malice for they knew not what they did! I offered them
perfection, long life, and myself; however, they fell for the salesman’s pitch
and never read the fine print. Yet, I still would give them all the goodness
that I can. They grieved me, quenched me, provoked me, and tried my patience;
yet I want to suffer with them a little longer. I cannot but love them, but I
cannot convince them to come home. What shall I say? What words can I write to
convince them? What messenger can I send that they will believe? |
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And God sat in silence to decide
His action. Then the idea, the logos, struck! Then the plan took shape in His
heart. And He could not but begin to create the picture. He knew exactly what it
would take; and He knew exactly what the Image must look like. Words were not
enough! He had to SHOW his creation how He felt, what thoughts He had in His
inner heart. It had to be expressed clearly and in graphic detail! Words were
too limiting. He would have a SON! |
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And what a glorious son he would
be! He would be like His first son, yet never fall away. He would be a perfect
son, who loved Him with all his heart. He would be a good son, who could stand
tall in the face of all that was thrown at him. He would be a son who could
demonstrate what the response to His enemy should have been. And he would be a
son willing to lay himself down in death in order to show that NO ONE ELSE HAD
TO DIE! |
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He would begin the scene with
POWER AND GLORY - to show the world His own heart toward man. He would then
paint the scene with blood, and death; darkness and earthquake; and let His son
show forth the best attributes any soul could show. And He would end the scene
with BEAUTY FOR ASHES, resurrection for agony, and glorious rule by His side; to
show that the way home was open to all who followed in His son’s footsteps!
And what God conceived - WAS! |
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When you look at the cross, what
do you see? Do you truly SEE the picture? And when you read HIS STORY (history)
are they merely words on a page? Or the moving, heart-churning pageant they are
supposed to be? In this case, watching reruns only makes the picture BETTER! |
© Anthony J. Massotti Th.M., Th.M.
3/14/1999
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3/21/99 |
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Christ with the woman caught in
the very act of adultery PROVED two things: |
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That He did not CONDONE sin,
but... |
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That He did not CONDEMN THE
SINNER either. |
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And is that not the way we should
react when we hear about someone else’s SINS AND STUPIDITIES? |
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Let him/her who is without sin
cast the FIRST STONE and all the rest of us SELF-RIGHTEOUS SINNERS will then
cast OUR STONES! I think not. |
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Why did Christ not reiterate the
law which says to stone the adulteress? Because if He were going to STONE FOR
SIN then He would have to BURN IT ALL DOWN! When gangrene gets to much into a
limb of the body, so that it cannot be halted, THEN THE LIMB MUST GO! That is
what the LAW OF STONING does — cuts you off. |
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But what do you do when you have
come to SAVE that which is LOST? Do you EXPOSE AND STONE or rather yield to LOVE
which covers a multitude of sins? |
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Consider this: Jesus Christ was
perfect AND HE THREW NO STONES! Why? Because you cannot RESCUE someone with a
life raft while simultaneously tying concrete blocks to the drowning person! You
cannot offer help with one hand and then SLAP THEM with the other! |
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If God were to mark iniquity then
who would stand? And yet He says: YOU ARE SEATED IN HEAVENLY PLACES. Do you
deserve to sit there? And if not, then who are you to FORBID (by your
unforgiveness) another Christian to sit there NEXT TO YOU just because you know
what 'sins' they have committed recently? |
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Are you a sin coverer, or a sin
hunter? Do you forgive quickly and readily, or would you rather see a little
JUSTICE (stoning) doled out? |
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Are you so sure that calling down
fire from heaven upon those who trespass against you is such a great idea and of
the RIGHT spirit? |
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Beware lest you become the
Pharisee beating his chest in SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS instead of a true member of the
wedding party who dispenses WHITE ROBES of CHRIST'S RIGHTEOUSNESS! |
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Let GO! The past is GONE! The
sins are BURIED! The future is A NEW DAY. Old things have passed away, behold
ALL THINGS ARE NEW. Become a NEW CREATURE in Christ; and help everyone else feel
like one too! This is the GOOD NEWS! |
© Anthony J. Massotti Th.M., Th.M.
3/21/1999
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Original Quote by Pastor Anthony |
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Man creates games to test human decision making -- where do you think that gift came from?
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This site was last modified on 10/10/2007
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