oneminuteministry

The Way

Where are you
If Jesus came back today
Would it be clear
That you know The Way?

Has religion become
Your answer to Thee
Has just a weekly day
Prepared you for eternity?

Has living your life
Like a good person should
Given you salvation
With less bad than good?

Do you feel that God
Won’t condemn us all
Do you realize sin
Began at the Fall?

God created it all
He will judge it one day
He cares only
That you know The Way.

He gave his only Son
To die for you and me
He paid the ultimate price
For paradise in heaven you see.

He is the only means
You can never earn the way
You can repent and believe
You can live for him today.

This world needs you
To make a difference today
To share Jesus with it
To show them The Way.

God has prepared
Your life and theirs too
Jesus is tugging your heart
For things you can do.

Get to Work

Matthew 9:36-38 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Jesus had been performing miracles throughout chapter nine in the gospel of Matthew. He had been healing the sick, blind, lame, and even raising the dead; can you imagine the crowd that had begin to follow him? He was not able to be whisked away in a limo by an armed guards (well, really he could have), he walked everywhere he went. Jesus was filled with compassion for those that sought him for every reason. The crowds would have been filled with either those seeking a miracle, those that had faith because of what they had experienced or seen, and those that were simply so curious, yet undecided in their faith in Him. It is the curiosity that God places in our hearts that draws us to Jesus. It is only the most hardened hearts that never even investigate, but simply turn away and deny in many ways. It is that curiosity that Jesus is wanting you to be a laborer of his in the harvest of eternal souls; to be a worker spreading the Gospel to all that are curious enough to hear.

The harvest in this context is spoken about in three of the four gospels by Jesus. Here in Matthew, in Luke ten, and again in John four. In all accounts Jesus is sending out, proclaiming the need, and showing the evidences of the need for his disciples to be evangelist. You are not a follower of Jesus, you are not truly saved if you do not possess the inner urge to share the gospel. A mark of your salvation is that desire to share what you possess with others. If you do not have that feeling, if you have doubt, that is God stirring your soul; repent and believe in the Hope you know is true; Jesus has been building that testimony in you to share with others now.

This world is falling apart because Satan is peaking in his limited power before Jesus returns very soon. The need for laborers, true disciples of Jesus, is greater than any time in history. There is a number, a need, a people group that God has not reached with the Good News yet. He will not return until all have heard. Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Jesus has put the circle of influence around you; your circle may be the as large as the internet or as small as your family. Jesus is pointing you to churches and sheperds to guide you along the way. Begin today to get to work for Jesus, doing your part to bring Jesus one day closer to his return.

Firewood

Luke 23:27-31 And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. 28 But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31 For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

Jesus was on his way to die, and was being followed by many people who were mourning for many reasons. Jesus turned to them and selflessly told them to weep for themselves, not for him. He told them to weep for the coming judgement of God upon Israel, and quoting from the Old Testament prophets, made it clear of the coming calamities. We can even look into our own judgement coming in the book of Revelation; when God’s judgement is released upon the world. Jesus has given reference to judgement of Israel, and the coming judgement spoken of in Revelation. Both of these references tell us how we will want to hide from the judgement of God; we will seek refuge in caves and plea for them to bring death, rather than suffer God’s righteous hand. Revelation 6:15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

The call God has placed on my life, a call to preach repentance, is as unpopular as it was for the Old Testament prophets. A call placed on my heart for especially the American Church, is to get on our knees and repent. I grew up in religion, I have seen and lived the level of hypocrisy in the church, and God took me to India to see what true Christianity can look like. Many of them fail just like us, but many have a purity that we can only desire. We as the American church have mocked God for too long, have weakened the Gospel to 60 seconds of time, and have preached of prosperity that comes to those of great faith. We have removed Hell from our preaching for fear it offends, and pursued entertainment as the way to pack pews. We stand before the judgement seat of God as a nation now, as he permits levels of evil as never seen before. We will either succumb to evil, or prayerfully repent and experience revival. We are at a pivotal point in eternity for our nation, and we must remember and wonder why our nation is not in the final book of history, the book of Revelation.

If God allowed the suffering of the world to be poured out on his Son, what will be the level of our suffering as those who have turned our backs on God? If Jesus is the pure, green wood of verse thirty-one, what happens to the dry dead wood of evil? In John 15, we are given the call to abide in Christ. We are told of the blessings and the warnings of those passages. John 15:6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. Jesus is the green vine, the living vine that does not burn. If we become disconnected from Jesus, letting sin rule our lives, we spiritually die and become dead wood; therefore we are thrown into a fire and burned. Get the idea?

Rich or Poor?

James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

We have all heard
Money is the root of all sin
But ones heart of pride
Is the open door it walks in.

We seek with all our might
To constantly attain
Riches and possessions
That bring only pain.

Jesus tell us camels
Pass through needles you see
Easier than rich men
Will enter heaven and be.

Jesus tell us daily
To lay down our cross
To follow him only
No matter the cost.

We are known by our stuff
Measured by our wealth
Satan holds the ruler
Jesus holds our health.

If riches we pursue daily
Satan measures what we gained.
Jesus measures our hearts
Where spiritual health is attained.

Our pride opens the door
Of our desire for all we see
Missing the simplicity of life
Found in one’s poverty.

Brokenness may come
In so many countless ways
Jesus uses the trials of life
To build perseverance for days.

Strength is built in trials
We look to God when we are poor
We wonder how we will make it
Our faith may become unsure.

When He has changed us
When he does the hard thing
We begin to understand what he wanted
We asked what we may bring.

We desire after the trial
To repay our debt in some way
We seek to praise him
With our cross laid each day.

When we lay down our cross
We give our lives for the day
We seek to be poor
To be used by him in some way.

We want the riches of heaven
We see the futility of them here
We care not of Satan’s measure
But Jesus’s measure we fear.

Help us today to be humble
To be all we may be
Help us to not worry
But for eternity with Thee.

Do you feel the urgency?
1 Thessalonians 5:1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

A night of broken sleep; nightmarish battles with Satan. Awakened to so much urgency on my heart; the enemy comes in flooding my head with worldly tasks distracting my eternal one. You must realize these days we are living in; the evil that is peaking before you. Satan is gathering his armies for a final battle, and he is seeking many of you in cunning ways. His ultimate tool, his greatest weapon, is deception. We are told he is the father of lies (John 8:44). Today he will use every means possible to take your attention off God. He wants to distract you from church, from prayer, and time in God’s Word. Will you let him deceive you, or will you read and grasp the urgency of Paul’s warning in this epistle?

3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.
8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.
9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
12 And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,
13 and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.
14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.
15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray without ceasing,
18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
19 Do not quench the Spirit.
20 Do not despise prophecies.
21 Test all things; hold fast what is good.
22 Abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
25 Brethren, pray for us.
26 Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.
27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Life’s Scales

Proverbs 11:1 Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, But a just weight is His delight.

Integrity is
What you do
When nobody
Is watching you.

Integrity is a trait taught
By both God and man
Integrity is built through life
Going against successes plan.

Solomon wrote of integrity
He wrote of it’s gain
Solomon wrote of perversity
How dishonesty brings shame.

The world teaches do
Whatever to get ahead
God’s Word teaches dishonesty
Finds the rich people dead.

American dreams take us
Down filthy roads to make a deal
Doing whatever it takes
From clients we steal.

We make profits and such
We smile at our gold
Have we gained everything
Have our souls been sold?

Everything the world values
Heaven regards as shame
Are we investing with Satan
Our heart’s desires to blame?

This world will perish
All in it will be no more
Nothing will matter
When Jesus closes the door.

Time will forever change
When you leave this life
You will see the cost
Of your gains through strife.

We are all measured
By our integrity you see
God knows what is going on
Behind the curtains of we.

He knows our hearts
Why we do what we do
He is measuring our integrity
Preparing eternity for us too.

On our honest scales of life
Not of salvation you see
But of our thoughts and works
Will measure our eternity.

He will place our life
In the balance of integrity
Souls headed for heaven
As his disciples will be.

False scales of dishonesty
Never were His to begin
Chasing money and pleasures
Satan leading them deeper in sin.

You know your life
God knows your heart
Your integrity draws closer
Or it tears you apart.

Table for Four

Ecclesiastes 4:12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Headed to dine
Not alone will we sit
A table for four
Will be the perfect fit.

God says he is with us
In our midst if two
So that makes three
If we include You.

Solomon wrote here
Of the strength of three
Cords greatly strengthened
By Godly friends you see.

Prayer warriors and friends
Always praying for each
Living life for Him
The Gospel to preach.

Knowing their needs
Even miles apart
Of one accord
Is each others heart.

God built this cord
Together for a season
Separated by sovereignty
We know not the reason.

Godly friends are priceless
They show us His grace
Through them we grow
We begin to see His face.

Intercessory prayer plays
The most important role
Deep caring thoughts
Nourishing the soul.

This world teaches self
The Bible teaches not
Relationships you see
Is all eternally you’ve got.

The center is Christ
Without him you will die
But when you truly know him
You will live in the sky.

Earthly relationships matter
Unlike possessions they remain
Nothing here on earth
Is truly any gain.

Godly friendships a gift
Are priceless treasures you see
The two of you mean
This world to me.

When we dine soon
We need room for One more
He will dine with us
We need a table for four.

Apple Trees

John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Today, so many of us could skim over this passage, one of the most beautiful pictures in scripture of our relationship to Jesus. We could pass through it because we are lost at the analogy of the vine, the grape vineyard that was so prevalent in Jesus’ time. What about if I present it as an apple tree? What about understanding that Jesus is the tree trunk, we are the branches, the soil is the Bible, and the apples are good works? We can’t do anything as a branch that is not joined to the tree. Branches that aren’t joined end up on the ground, end up dead, and many be thrown into a fire and burned just as John 15 states.

If Jesus is the tree, he is everything to us. He is our foundation, he is where we get our nourishment from, and he is rooted in God’s Word. If the soil he is feeding each of his branches with, is the Bible, is the food that we need to survive, how will we not die if we do not feed on it? That is what causes us to die, to fall away from God, to become spiritually weak, to lack everything that comes from daily time with God, studying his Word. We will fall away, we will fall back to the ground, joined to the world again, dead, awaiting the fire. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

If we are a branch, growing with Jesus, we are getting higher with the tree, getting farther away from the ground. We find ourselves feeding on Jesus’ nourishment he pulls through the soil, we find ourselves becoming strong enough in our faith to produce fruit. What are these apples that begin to come forth? They are the heavenly works that come from a true heart of love for Jesus. They are heavenly works that produce evangelism, that produce integrity, that produce love and forgiveness when the world breeds selfishness and hate. Through the love of God, through the love of his Word, we begin to stand out from the crowd, we begin to look like Jesus to a hateful world; what God designed us for, (Romans 8:29)

All it takes to produce this heavenly fruit, is to slow down and just seek to abide for each day. Seek to just concentrate on today alone, to just spend one day at a time pursuing what God has for you. That will mean prayer, time in his Word, time seeking him throughout the day, time looking just to make it through the day, not worrying about tomorrow. Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Tomorrow is what the world preaches to you every day; to worry about what will come, when you don’t even know if tomorrow will come. You will likely miss the blessing of today, the blessing Jesus has laid before you, if you worry about a day that may not even arrive. If you just worry about your daily relationship to Jesus, the cares of the world seem small. You also realize the blessing at the end of John 15:5; for without Me you can do nothing. All you must do is to abide for each day, and let him produce that heavenly fruit through your life.

Time Lost

1 Peter 2:11-12 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
I have lost time
I know not where it be
I do not understand
What my Lord has done to me.

In a fog I walk
In my mind it stays
Will I remain
Here for my days?

Nothing seems clear
Time seems lost
Is this my cross
Is this the cost?

People demand time
They demand of me
I really care not
Only that they would see.

We are in the last days
Jesus’ imminent return
Repent and believe
Or Ye’ shall burn.

My country only cares
About the idol of me
Tangible worship
For all to see.

Our god of self
Is directing us to Hell
Only repenting of sin
Will make us well.

Jesus demanded we live
Holy as Thee
Idolatry of self
Is condemnation you see.

God first in your life
Jesus above it all
All else in life
Begins to become small.

Time looses it’s meaning
You focus on eternity
You live your life different
Selfless for others to see.

Time here is meaningless
Only a grain of sand
Eternity lies before us
Where will you stand?

Praying Without Ceasing

1 Thessalonians 5:16-23 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. 23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If there has been any point in my life, any point in which I could say I understood continual prayer, it was the twelve days in mission from which I just returned. It was not a requirement, not a duty put on the itinerary, not a feeling of obligation to the Lord, but a work of the Lord within the team. He was doing a greater work in us, likely than the work that he did through us. You must understand that we lived the book of Acts in the New Testament; we witnessed miracles before us, the works of God that are undeniable; if you deny the work of God, you are denying God himself. We can’t justify them through education, through explanation, through any means but God himself working his Spirit before our very eyes. All throughout the Bible are the request of men for a sign from God. All throughout the Bible the signs were given, and through many reasons, denied and explained away, but, rejoicingly, many came to faith as a result of them.

Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians church was one of great encouragement. Timothy had returned and told Paul of their great faith, but also of troubles in the church. Satan always seeks to divide the church; division is one of his greatest weapons. The division can be of any sorts, many sorts, and Satan is at work in all of them. Paul sought to encourage the believers, to unify the believers, to bring them together understanding the error of the false doctrine dividing. They were arguing of Jesus’ return; had he already – NO! Paul clearly lays out in this epistle what we understand as the Day of his return; the Rapture, the gathering of those first who died in faith, and then those of faith still living; the gathering of his church. 4:15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Listen to me! There is urgency of the gospel felt all around the world. There is evil peaking in terrorist attacks; Christian persecution, even martyrdom is it’s highest in history; God is giving you the signs of his imminent return. Will you worry more about work, about the Panthers game, about vacation, about Christmas presents, about the next purchase to make you feel good? What does Paul tell us; this letter to the early church pertains to us today also. Many try to explain away the relevancy of the Bible, but the God tells us a thousand years to us, is but a day to him (2nd Peter 3:8), so how can you justify your excuse of time that does not apply to God? 5:4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.

You too can live a life of continual prayer. A life of continual prayer is a heart that is truly seeking the Lord with all their mind, body, and soul out of their love for him. It is a heart that seeks to abide in him, to walk in the Spirit, to live their life for the next one, and not pursue all the cares of this one. It is a life that seeks to lay down their cross, to dedicate each day to the One who is giving them breath for the day. It is one who seeks God in prayers and his Word each day with expectancy of hearing from him, for encouragement and direction for each day. When you seek God with everything you have, the Holy Spirit is praying without ceasing, on your behalf, with words to beautiful to be uttered. He is interceding for you before God; he is going to God on your behalf so that you are staying in God’s will for your life each day. Praying without ceasing is easy, you just turn your life fully over to God, and he will continually pray for you.