Tell it, Share it

Last Thursday night, my son's high school won their first football game of the season.  It was against a team that is very good and usually make it our state's playoff.  We were hoping for least a close game and perhaps a miracle win.  Well, . . . WE WON !! 32-30,  a great win for the home team.  We went to bed that night and waited for the next day to tell everybody.  Mine was interesting and that's when God moved on my heart.  I had no one to tell!!  No one knew about the schools, no one heard the game nor the win.  I felt so down and so sad for I had GREAT NEWS to tell and share.  But I had none to tell and share.  It reminded me of the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Many times we feel there's none to tell and none to share it with. The greatest story ever told and the Good news of the Gospel, that can save lives, and many of us feel we have none to share it with.  I had to ask myself, I'm I just as sad when I have no one to share the gospel with.  It really made me think, as a minister and a Christan, a follower of Jesus.  The Apostle Paul said,  in Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.  He was willing to share it with those had religion and those who had the great mind, the thinkers and intellectual.  And Paul matched the wisdom of God with the wisdom of the world. ( there's really no contest).
I can get really excited about God's good news and I have many times.  But just as I got excited to tell someone about a winning ball game, I should have the desire to tell and share the Great news of Jesus and become sad when I have no one to tell it to. The song in the Red Hymn book says, I Love to tell the story, especially to those who know it best, those who seems to be hungering and thirsting, to hear it like the rest.
The Apostle Paul also said In 1cor15:
³ For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
⁴ And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
I pray that we ALL, will want to share the Gospel of Jesus.

God Bless you neighbor,
RevDanSam

(ps. WE BEAT GAINESVILLE, THE RED ELEPHANTS 32-30, YAHOO!!)

Good works a good thing

Last week, I was talking to a friend who is a volunteer diver at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.  And he was talking about how they work with special needs children and disable veterans, allowing them to scuba drive and swim in the big aquarium.  He mentioned that they were working with Autistic children and how that they really enjoyed it.  The happiness that they enjoyed and the peacefulness of seeing the fishes in the water was really great for them.  Also, he mentioned the doctors now are taking their information and incorporating their findings into the therapy for the children.  This touched my heart as I pondered this great work for the children and for those with special needs.  Here volunteers were trying to do something GOOD, trying to bring joy to a special needs person’s life and now their good deeds will go further to help others. 

How many times have we seen when doing good works or a good deed and then something good comes from it?  In my Christian life, I have heard and I have been taught what joy is. (J-O-Y) It’s when we put Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself last.  This is not exactly popular to secular teachings, but it's what the Lord teaches to us.

Good works and good deeds will not saved you, nor give you entrance into heaven.  You must be saved, you must to be born again.

For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Rom. 10:13

But I do believe when you do good works, that good things will happen to you. God sees when you help others. And I believe that He will help you.  My Lord keeps a record.

God Bless you neighbor,

RevDanSam

The way it is

Hello neighbor,

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall
not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. John 3:36

John 3:36

Amplified Bible (AMP)

 And he who believes in (has faith in, clings to, relies on) the Son has (now possesses) eternal life. But whoever disobeys (is unbelieving toward, refuses to trust in, disregards, is not subject to) the Son will never see (experience) life, but [instead] the wrath of God abides on him. [God’s displeasure remains on him; His indignation hangs over him continually.]

Nuff said.  That just about says it all.

This verse concludes the great Bible chapter and Christ's dissertation on the New Birth, Being born again.

Ye must be born again !!

RevDanSam

It is Not me

Psalm 51

³ For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
⁴ Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight:

Many times you will find a time clock to clock in your time to be in the break room / lunch room.  I remember an instance that  happen in our break room with a time clock.  One of our young customer service rep. (CSR) always appear to have a problem clocking in and out.  As we were suppose to use our finger print, usually the index finger to clock in.  The young CSR seem always to have trouble doing this, and not because she was a blond (that's another blog someday, ha, ha)   But she would always wipe the finger scanner, instead of just wiping her finger.  I saw this happen several times, and she almost did this instinctively, wiping the scanner, instead of wiping off her index finger. Finally, another co-worker told her to wipe her finger and then she was able to clock without a problem. 
I have thought about this many times, such an easy task, but the mind set that she had was I am not the problem it's something else.  It's the finger scanner and not me !!  Not my finger.  And so it is with many, many people today. It's not me and I don't have the problem !!

In Psalms 51, David said it is me, I acknowledge my sin, my sin is before me. He knew that problem started with Himself and he confessed it to God.  He came clean with God because of his confession. 
Well, confession is good for the soul, we need a solution and not be part of the problem. Call on the Lord today, confess to him and call in His name to be saved. In the bible in the New Testament Romans Chapter 10 verse 9 - 13,
⁹ 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. ¹⁰ For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.¹³ For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Dear friend many will say that it's not me, and will never be saved, but I am telling you this thought today, right now as you read this, Look within, Look to Jesus and live.

May God Bless you,
RevDanSam
 
⁵ Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Pray Boys Pray !!

I had a fond memory last week while driving my pickup truck to pick up my son from school.  I drove by the red brick building that use to be my home church when I was a single young man.  I remember a particular service that I was in.  The young preachers boys would sit on the front role on the left of the sanctuary (right side viewing from the pulpit) We had one of those rejoicing services where there was singing and shouting, then the altars filled up with people making a decisions for Christ or praying (what we called doing business with God).  One of the persons at the altar was praying a very long time and in tears.  We called this type of prayer, trying to get the victory, and he could not get it.  On the middle isle on the middle pew sat two of our older deacons.  One of them was Brother Joe.  He was a happy man and a spiritually lead man.  He knew what was going on  at the altar.  The young man could not get the victory and was in tears.  Brother Joe knew us preacher boys was there on the front role and he turned to us while the singing was going on and shouted "PRAY BOYS PRAY !!"  Well, you would have thought we just got orders from the president.  We jumped out of our pews and got on our knees and called on God.  We prayed!!  The young man got the victory.  We were proud that we were able to respond to the call from Brother Joe.  And we had a great meeting.  Brother Joe is in heaven now, but I can see his face as he called on us to pray.  He normally would be wearing glasses but he took them off and had tears in his eyes when he shouted to us to pray.  It a time and service that I will never forget.

But dear friend, the bible says in Romans 10:13 that whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.  I hope you are a christian and I hope you are saved.  If you are not, you can be, just call on the Lord. 

God bless you friend,

Rev. Daniel Samples
revdansam@gmail.com

Striving together Athletes & Christians

Philippians 1:27

 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

While watching the Olympics games this week, I kept hearing the term TEAMWORK mentioned time and time again by the sport announcers and analysts.  Whether it was with swimming or the relay race, the team has to work together and with a common goal.  It reminded me of the verse in Phil. 1:27 and Warren Wiersbe commentary, that says the word translated “striving together” gives us our English word athletics.  Paul pictures the church as a team, and he reminds them that it is teamwork that wins victories.  The Olympics games show us how that teamwork wins victories. And it will win a Gold medal.  I like the running relay race and the passing of the batons from one runner to the other, fulfilling their part of the race.  In many ways it’s the same way with the Christians. The generations before us passes the baton to us in our time then we will pass the baton on to the next generation of Christians for them to run their part.  Each one are only responsible for his part of the race.  One writer said that this generation of Christians are only responsible for this generation becoming Christians.  And I really feel that there’s some great truth to that statement.  I am also reminded of the scriptures that say we laborers together with God. I also like the sentence break down, that says, we are laborers, we are laborers together, we are laborers together with GOD !!  But it does take teamwork to serve God.  I am reminded of the story in the gospel of Mark, how it took four men to bring one man to Christ.  Maybe it should be that way today. But that may be another blog.  Anyway, we need to be about the Our Heavenly Father’s business and serving him together and teamwork.   We should be striving together for the faith of the gospel.

God Bless you neighbor, are you saved ?? Call on Him today. See Romans 10:9,10,13.

Rev. Daniel Samples

revdansam@gmail.com