Call Of God by Rev. Steve Millar

 

Holy Boldness 

It's easy for us to say “anything for you, Lord” when the task is convenient and doesn’t put you out, but our true dedication shows when we sacrifice and put our life on the line for the call of duty—winning the lost at any cost. The Lord wants yielded vessels to spread His Word in this final hour, and He’s depending on us to finish the work before it’s too late.
Philip is a great example of someone who was confident in his ability to witness to a lost soul, and he proved it when the Spirit moved on him to run after an Ethiopian man who was traveling by in a chariot. At the time, Philip was doing a great work for the Lord, preaching and praying for the sick and afflicted; and many souls were coming to the Lord. But one day, an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip and told him to Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert (Acts 8:26). Without hesitation, Philip arose and went. Now, this shows a great trait of a soul winner—to be ready and willing to carry out the instructions of the Lord. You don't hear Philip complaining that the Lord wanted him to travel into the desert. No, Philip had holy boldness; and when you have holy boldness, you have the "go ye" attitude.

The Power of Bible Fasting by Ernest Angley : part 2

 

How to Fast

Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly (Matthew 6:16-18). Don’t appear downcast when you fast or boast about how long the fast has been. Fasting is not for show but to afflict your soul so that your Father in Heaven will answer your prayer.
There are many ways to fast. You can fast by drinking only water or you can fast by drinking water and just enough juice to keep up your strength so that you can do your work. You can fast one meal, two meals, a day, a week or as many days as you want, but never fast over forty days at a time. Jesus fasted forty days, the maximum amount of time you should fast. I have fasted many forty day fasts, but I have never felt I should fast over forty days.

The Power of Bible Fasting by Ernest Angley

 
Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21). There are many who feel Biblical fasting is unnecessary because Jesus paid for all at Calvary. This, however, is not according to the Word of the Lord. The Bible teaches fasting for all God’s people; never will you have real power with God unless you fast.
In Matthew, the ninth chapter, we read that John’s disciples came to Jesus asking why they fasted while Jesus’ disciples did not. Jesus answered, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. After Jesus was taken from them, His disciples did fast.
It is recorded in Mark 9 that a father brought his son, who was possessed by a devil, to the disciples. They were not able to deliver the boy, but Jesus was. Later, the disciples wanted to know why they could not cast out the devil. They were told by Jesus that this kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29). In my services the sick are healed by the numbers, devils are cast out. How is it done? Through fasting, prayer and living in the Word.

What is Good Friday? When is Good Friday celebrated?

 

Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus. It is the most solemn day in the Christian calendar. The dates of Good Friday, which vary each year, occur between March 20^th and April 23^rd. It falls on the last Friday before Easter. It is the pinnacle of the Holy Week. All Christians observe this day with great humility and reverence. It is this spirit of humility and reverence that is reflected in each of the Good Friday PowerPoints, which can be used as a preaching aid on Good Friday.

History of Good Friday
As early as the first century, the Church set aside every Friday as a special day of prayer and fasting. It was not until the fourth century, however, that the Church began observing the Friday before Easter as the day associated with the crucifixion of Christ. First called Holy or Great Friday by the Greek Church, the name "Good Friday" was adopted by the Roman Church around the sixth or seventh century. This collection of Good Friday videos reflect the types of traditions associated with the history of Good Friday.

Because of Him

 

 Jesus is the Son of God, our Savior and Redeemer. Because of Him, death is not the end, and life takes on new meaning. We can change, we can start over—and we can live again with God. This Easter, celebrate His life and discover all that’s possible because of Him.

THE PRIMARY RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH

Faith is a righteous attitude toward God, and is often referred to in the Bible as 'godliness'. A proper attitude toward God is also the foundation of all other righteousness. When our hearts are right toward God, we are 'tuned' to relate properly with our fellow man as well. The logic of this is straightforward.
Suppose a thief commits murder during a bank robbery, killing a bank employee. Do you suppose that he will be concerned about running stop signs during his getaway? Of course not. If he has committed the greater crime, he will have no regard for lesser laws. The same thing applies to mankind. If we are willing to declare war against our Creator, how can we love lesser beings who are mere creations? It is impossible to truly respect a human being if we are incapable of respect for God. The apostle Paul explained how all of man's wickedness toward our fellow man flows out of our first and greater crime of disrespect for God:

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

Romans 1:28-32

THE LOGIC OF THE FRUIT

 

Despite God's warning of death, Adam and Eve believed the serpent instead of Him. They disobeyed God and ate the forbidden Fruit. What convinced them that they would not die? They believed that the Fruit would give them two kinds of power:

1) The power to produce their own righteousness.
2) The power to tempt others, preventing them from being more righteous.

Adam and Eve believed that God would not be able to condemn them because they would be able to achieve a measure of goodness, while at the same time preventing anybody else from being any better. Instead of righteousness being defined by God, it would become 'a relative thing', defined by man and man's desires. Instead of man meeting God on His terms, God would have to meet men on their terms.

THE FEAR OF GOD

In the Bible faith in God is also called 'the fear of the Lord'. Some people say that they don’t want a God whom they must fear. They imply that such a God must be a tyrant. Their objections overlook, however, the fact that the love of God has already been clearly manifested to us. It is He who has made us and placed us on this planet in the first place, and has opened the door to everlasting happiness for all of us, based simply upon the requirement that we acknowledge His trustworthiness and allow Him to lead us.
God wants to be a Shepherd to us. When He created us, He brought us into a dangerous universe where the forces of good and evil were already engaged in battle against each other. He created us as free moral agents, and with that moral freedom came the possibility either living forever (as a reward for righteousness) or dying (as the reward for wickedness). And God made our choice as clear and simple as it could be.
Those who discount the value of fear in our lives are really striking at the very foundations of human society. Fear is an essential part of our everyday experience. Our fear of death prolongs our lives and guides us to success in almost every important thing that we do. We generally view fearless people as dangerous, and as either uneducated, foolish or insane.

AN 'ALL OR NONE' DECISION

 

There was a serpent in Eden who contradicted God, challenging Eve concerning what to believe:

And the serpent said unto the woman 'You shall not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.'

Genesis 3:4-5

In effect the serpent was saying 'God knows right from wrong, and He is righteous. If you learn right from wrong, you will be like God, and be able to achieve the same results that He has achieved!'
Adam and Eve were confronted with a life and death decision about whom to believe. God had said 'You shall surely die!', and the serpent said 'You shall not surely die!'. God has placed a powerful survival instinct within all of us. Because logical people will not do things that might lead to their own destruction, Adam and Eve had to be completely convinced that their decision would not lead to death. They could believe God's words, or the serpent's, but not both; there could be no middle ground. Whatever their choice, it would have to be a wholehearted one; they would have to be convinced of its wisdom.

GOD MADE IT SIMPLE

 

When God created the human race and placed us in the Garden of Eden, He gave us one Law to live by:

Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die.

Genesis 2:17

GOD'S COMMANDMENT WAS SIMPLE: There was only one Law, not many.

GOD'S COMMANDMENT WAS EASY: It was a commandment not to do something; to simply believe God.

GOD'S COMMANDMENT WAS CLEAR: God said that righteousness cannot be achieved through learning the difference between right and wrong; to learn right from wrong would be a sin worthy of death. The way of righteousness was to simply believe God and take Him at His word.

WHAT IS FAITH?

WHAT IS FAITH?

The Bible defines faith as 'believing God'. Abraham is the primary biblical example of a man who believed God:

Abraham believed in the Lord, and God counted it to him for righteousness.

Genesis 15:6

For the promise that he should be the heir of the world was not given to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

Romans 4:13

In the verses above, we first find the definition of faith (believing God), and then secondly we are told that faith constitutes righteousness in the sight of God. This emphasis upon faith is found throughout the Bible, and is the continuing theme of the New Testament: