PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: POWER OF PRAYER

From Pastor John Collins:

“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” John 3:19-21 (NKJV).

There is true evil in this world. We can look around and see it. Many people would like to ignore it, not be bothered by it, not have it touch their lives and just go about their business. Sometimes evil intrudes and we are shocked, hurt and want to question if there is a God at all. If God is so powerful, why does He allow bad things to happen? That is always a question for those who would deny that there is a God and would claim that if there was a God at all then He must not care about us and must not be all good as those who believe in His say. God gave men free will to live and choose to behave as they would have it and for that reason there will always be evil in this world. Evil is just selfish desires and power grabs manifested in this world. Evil is those choosing to lash out at others because of their own hurt. Evil is defiance and rebellion acted out in order to lift oneself up. Evil is petty and there will come a time when God chooses to step in and bring about further revelation to this world.

Some wait for God to act and some want to ignore the signs but while there is still yet time we should be praying for more light to shine in the darkness. Prayer is a powerful thing and God wants to hear from us, not just about our lives, our desires, our sicknesses and needs, our family and friends but about our hopes and thoughts regarding this world. Do you consider praying about those who suffer, the abused men, women and children? Do you pray for the weak? Do you pray that those who protect us are themselves protected? Do you pray that righteousness would make its way into the government? Do you pray that foreign nations would be strengthened in food and health to limit the depletion of your own country? Do you pray that revelation would come from God that would minimize the desire to blow each other up? There are people whose only desire is for more power, more money, more weapons and the opportunity to display it all for the world to see. There is evil in this world because some only care about themselves and they don’t value life or the gifts that come with it.

What so many have forgotten, failed to realize or choose to ignore is that the only true power in this world comes from God alone and all of the rest is an illusion. God is the one who has all of the strength and He really does want us to make the best choices available to us and sometimes people just don’t know what that is. Changing things in this world can start with hope and prayer. Change does need to come, more light needs to permeate the dark and more people need to wake up to the reality that things are changing and we need to change as well. We need more righteousness in this world, not more rebellion. Pray for that.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (NKJV).

Love That Cross, Pastor John Collins

Read more about JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES or reach me, Pastor John, personally through John Collins Ministries at www.johncollinsministries.com.

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: CHRISTMAS RESTRAINT

From Pastor John Collins:

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:24-25 (NKJV).

Black Friday is here and before you run out and break the bank, overload the credit cards and spend hard earned cash that you should not, please rethink this holiday season!!

One of the hardest lessons to learn in life is restraint. When to restrain yourself from acting, from speaking and from reacting in a manner that is expected from you. Just because the world, especially the United States has come to drive buying in excess to please our loved ones in some kind of celebration for the birth of Jesus Christ for some and just an excuse to shop for others does not mean that you need to buy into the nonsense.

Jesus Christ was NOT born on December 25th. Although you may believe that you are celebrating Him when your family opens its gifts on that cold December morning, I promise you that Jesus would rather you not go into debt, not struggle to pay your bills in order to buy those presents and He would rather you not buy those gifts and would rather you restrain yourself from the manic need to “show your love” through material means.

Jesus is about love, salvation, hope and eternal bliss. Don’t make this year the same as all of the rest instead choose to make this year a new tradition that includes all of the love and faith that you can summon with all of the joyous celebration that you can endure without partaking of the “Christmas Traditions” that celebrate materialism and not God.

And for those of you who have small children, please learn restraint. Christmas is not about filling up the space under the tree. If you do buy gifts, restrain yourself and limit your purchases. One gift is lovely and if opened with Jesus on your mind and not yourself, then that is a pure and true rejoicing in Him and not the excuse to give and receive. We should never think of Christmas as if it were OUR BIRTHDAY and therefore our right to receive gifts and the same goes for our children. It is not their birthdays. This holiday season, learn to restrain yourself.

“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN BELIEVE THAT

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, EVANGELIST: HUMBLE OF SPIRIT

be humbled.

“God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:5-7 (NKJV).

Jesus came to this world humble and a servant. He came to do the will of His Father, our Father. Our view of ourselves can become bloated and elevated by our accomplishments, by our successes, by our talents and especially by the way others lift us up and validate us. Many of us demand that validation regularly and it is the cause of much sorrow in our lives. We desire to be made to feel important and needed and of value to those around us. We want to be recognized and we want to be loved and adored. We thrive on our pride.

So, what does it mean to become humble of spirit? What is it that we need to do within ourselves to alter our outlook on ourselves and our feelings on what will satisfy our souls? We need to recognize that life is fleeting. The very breaths in our bodies are numbered and we are not in control of their limit. If we put such store in ourselves and not in our Lord, we will not be capable of allowing ourselves to be humbled.

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord’
Nor detest His correction;
For whom the Lord loves He corrects,
Just as a father the son in whom he delights.” Proverbs 3:11-12 (NKJV).

We all need to be corrected in our ways. We all have the natural instinct to be proud. We must come to want that correction in all of our ways and the place to start is with our humility. It is for us to learn that we are in need of a Savior and His name is Jesus Christ. When we acknowledge that we are sinners and our ways are naturally perverse, we come to WANT Jesus to be our Lord. We have to learn to want to be humble and receive the rewards. We have to want to change our hearts and souls. 

We have to want to serve in response to our salvation. We have to want to rid ourselves of our pride, vanity, and selfish ways. They are there, to deny that is to lie and deceive ourselves. But they can and will be cleansed from us if we learn to want that above all else. That is what it is when you seek the kingdom of God above all.

“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18 (NKJV).

Love That Cross, Pastor John Collins

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, EVANGELIST: FRIEND? ENEMY?

From Pastor John Collins: 

"Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:19-21 (NKJV).

I am sure that there are many people who would like to do this but are unable. It is very hard when you are hurt, insulted or mistreated by someone you just want to fight back and get even. It feels good to add insult to injury to someone whom you feel deserves it. It is easy to treat your enemy with utter disrespect and contempt.

Who says that they are your enemy though? What drives people to group up together to hate another group whether it’s nationally, internationally, in school, at work, or even in our own families? It is not what God wants from us and it is just not our right to determine who has value and who does not.

It is our responsibility to grow in our faith and learn to have true compassion, even on those that we would ‘consider’ our enemy. God knows if any one of us has behaved with righteousness or not and every one will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. It is up to us to let go of the grudges and the pettiness that we can hold so dear. It is up to us to see things as Jesus would and choose to forgive and to let the justice of God play out.

It is also necessary to know that false kindness and fake friendliness gains you nothing. When your heart holds contempt for someone there is not enough smiles and kind gestures that will make up for it. You must allow clarity to enter your mind and pureness to enter your heart. Hold on to God and His Son and they will help you heal. Let God do His job and you do yours, worship Him in Spirit and Truth.

“Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.

If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Romans 12:17-18 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, EVANGELIST: GOD, NOT FOR MEN ONLY

GOD wants salvation for all.

From John Collins, Evangelist:

"Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our image; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” Genesis 1:26 (NKJV).

Is God a male chauvinist? Is the Bible geared toward male chauvinism? There are plenty of men who adhere to this belief and use it to justify their domination of women and there are plenty of women who adhere to this belief and use it to justify their hatred of men and their defensiveness of ‘girl power’. Let me set the record straight for all of those who like to blame God and the Bible for everything that is wrong in their lives and in this world; God is NOT a male chauvinist!!

God is pro salvation, be it for a man or a woman. God created both male and female and each have their responsibilities to God, to their families, to each other and to themselves. God does not want women to be dominated and treated with contempt just like he doesn’t want any race to be dominated and treated with contempt. God did not create one to be superior to the other but instead created both to complement each other. Man and woman were created to be teammates and to help each other through life. God wants salvation to come to all which is why He sent Jesus. Jesus is not only for the men or the Jews.

People will blame God for every little thing and that is just ridiculous. What people should be most concerned with is their own salvation and that only comes to the righteous and humble of heart. If you are a man with the attitude of superiority, you are not right with God. If you are a woman with the attitude of defensive self-righteousness, you are not right with God. God wants you to become humble, as Jesus was humble. This life thing is not about who is better, who has more, who comes first, who is above and who is below in status. This life thing is about godliness, kindness, love, forgiveness and grace. God is willing to show mercy to men and women and God is just in His judgment of men and women. Humans are the flawed beings that like to blame and need to feel more important than others. Believe me, God knows His worth, He is just waiting for you to realize yours, as a Christian who obeys His Son.

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24 (NKJV).

 LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, EVANGELIST: "OMG"

"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” Exodus 20:7 (NKJV).

“This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:11-12 (NKJV).

We are told to revere God, fear God and hold Him in awe. We are not to take His name in vain and we are not to take the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in vain.

Someone gets hurt and yells out Jesus Christ in a tone and manner that is equal to curse words. The term "OMG" has become second nature and of no consequence in the casual speech of people today.

Vain use of the name of God and Jesus is to make them useless, of no effect, idle and worthless. To speak with such casual disregard for the name of God is show them contempt.

The Lord is holy, divine and worthy of all reverence. The Lord is who we pray to, hope in and trust in. The Lord should never have His name fly off of the lips of those who claim to love Him in such an offensive manner. There is power in a name. Think of all that the apostles accomplished in the name of Jesus. Think of the prophets who accomplished so much in the name of God.

Those who curse with the name of the Lord or fling around the "OMG" response have absolutely no respect for the Lord and have absolutely no understanding of the Lord as they break one of the ten commandments and are blasphemous in their speech toward the Lord. We have got to do better as a nation and dig deep to find our respect for God again.

“How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” John 5:44 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS! PASTOR JOHN

OUTLAW PREACHER

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS WRITES:

I find myself sitting here thinking out loud about society and its double standards and lack of reasons and morals. I am going to strongly voice my opinion and will NOT engage in any comment war with anyone. Everyone has their right to opinion, so here is mine.

There are a lot of pastors on the pulpit preaching wrong. Not all pastors are wrong or bad, but many of them are. The ones that are NOT serving God are preaching hate and prosperity.

I have been called an outlaw preacher, a rebel preacher and many other names. Say whatever you want; however, I am God’s. I serve Him, NOT man!

We live in a country that was founded upon “In God We Trust”. Now, we have turned our backs on God, slapped him across the face and told him to leave!

We have all conformed to this world as the bible has told us NOT to do by catering to sin. Those who are against sin, you are a racist, offensive, homophobic or violating peoples civil rights. What about MY rights as a Christian? Oh wait, that goes against society as well. If you follow God’s law, you are wrong in the human eye. Humans would rather you break God’s laws than man’s laws! What the hell is that all about!

The world is falling apart. God’s Wrath is here and it is going to get worse. People are more than willing to jump on any bandwagon that comes around. Meaning, we are so quick to join the latest fads, no matter how sinful they are.

Some might say, why listen to me? I am a preacher who has been to prison. Yes I was, before I was a preacher. Many people have been to prison and then changed their lives. Also, many people in the bible were imprisoned! If you have a problem with that, I pity you for judging. Unless you have walked in my shoes, you simply do not know who I am or what God has planned for me.

Our country is full of hate groups, for what reason? The New Black Panthers, the Nation of Islam, Radical Islam, some in Black Lives Matter, the KKK is still there as well as the White Supremacists, and David Duke is making headlines again. 

This is not looking good for us Americans. If we do not work together and stop blaming each other, it’s over. We are right now, a country of hate. Not a country of God. We blame everyone but ourselves for what is going on.

Preachers use the bible to benefit themselves. To put money in their pockets and prosper off of God’s Word. This makes them sinful and those that follow, destined for hell. Politicians base their decisions by being politically correct because it is more popular and it is more beneficial to them. Heaven forbid we hurt some ones feelings by telling the truth.

I think that when Jesus was here, he could have cared less about being politically correct. Being politically correct will lead you to the pit of hell. If you decide that living by the flesh and all of its pleasures is your thing, good luck with that. When you close your eyes for the last time, just remember the word “oops”. That is what you will be saying as you are headed straight to hell.

The United States of America is united. Not by the love of God anymore, but by hate, greed, vanity, self-indulgence, to name a few. We are going to have to deal with God’s Wrath.

STOP blaming God and blame yourself. Turn it around, follow the bible, fellowship, and become a country of God once again.

It seems like everyone wants to fight for a cause. What better cause is there than to fight for God. 

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: BULLIES AND TARES

Pastor John Collins:

In response to a question about people who claim to be Christian in their business and in their lives and yet treat people with contempt and dismissal, I have this to say:

The Catholic Church used to use ‘ex-communication’ as a threat to hold over people that included the added horror of dying while in such a state of separation from that church that would lead to being buried in unhallowed ground.

Guess what? Every bully is known to God. Who is one person, one church, or one group to determine who can belong to God and who is not welcome among His people? Who is to determine who His people are? The bully who uses you in the name of God and then discards you with a threat of slandering you amongst fellow Christians is in fact one of the tares being allowed to grow alongside the wheat and in the end will be plucked up and cast into the fire.

If you are among the lied about, slandered about and bullied about, have no worries because God has got your back. The big thing to do is to not feed the fire which means that you do not have to be confrontational and ‘prove’ your righteousness but let you light so shine before others that they see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

There is something to be said for taking the high road because God will always lead you home if you are truly following Him. If you allow God, then He will bring you new opportunities to have fellowship, have business and have a life that is righteous and true as long as you have the trust and the patience to let Him work. Some things and people may be removed from your life and some may be introduced into your life. Just remember that you don’t have to prove a thing to any man as it is God who should concern you and He is more than capable of seeing you through this trial too.Your true Christians friends will be there support you as well.

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life; and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14  (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: PRAYER TO DEAD RELATIVES

Pastor John Collins posts:

“And when they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?” Isaiah 8:19 (NKJV).

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 (NKJV).

Have you ever heard someone say that they are praying to their dead grandmother for strength? It is not only a Catholic thing but it is a complete disconnect in a person’s faith and disobedience to God that leads people to reach out in prayer to their dead relatives, to the ‘saints’ of the church and especially to Mary the mother of Jesus Christ. Let me be very clear, Mary, the mother of Jesus is NOT the mediator of your faith and to pray to her is the same as praying to any other dead person. Jesus Christ is the way to get to the Father and it is through Him that you must pray.

You have been given a mediator in Jesus who was beaten, rejected and hung on a tree for the sins of the world. You have been instructed on how to approach God in prayer in the name of Christ. There is no way around this rule and there are no exceptions, even for His mother or the so-called saints or for any of your dead relatives. None of those people will help you, none of those people are able to provide you with anything and none of those people have the approval of God to stand as a mediator for you.

Do you think that God takes it lightly that so many ‘Christians’ ignore the words of His Son every day and are praying in the name of so many others? It is not something to think of casually. Your prayers are your communication with God and your faith is strengthened by your prayers. God does listen to the prayers of the faithful and the prayers of those whose hearts genuinely seek to worship Him in spirit and truth. Be serious in your prayers as that is the way that you approach God. Think of the holiness of the tabernacle and how so very few could actually come close. Think of the instructions to Israel about the holiness of God and how He must be worshiped. Jesus is now the mediator of your faith and it is necessary to approach both Jesus and God with reverence and awe. Do not be casual in your faith, in your prayers or in your attitude about God and Jesus Christ. Take your faith seriously so that you are able to enter through the narrow gate. Pray as the Lord has instructed you and do not turn to the right or to the left.

“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:1-4 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS PASTOR JOHN

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: MEDIATOR

Pastor John Collins: Disconnected Faith

“And when they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?” Isaiah 8:19 (NKJV).

“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 (NKJV). 

Have you ever heard someone say that they are praying to their dead grandmother for strength? It is not only a Catholic thing but it is a complete disconnect in a person’s faith and disobedience to God that leads people to reach out in prayer to their dead relatives, to the ‘saints’ of the church and especially to Mary the mother of Jesus Christ. Let me be very clear, Mary, the mother of Jesus is NOT the mediator of your faith and to pray to her is the same as praying to any other dead person. Jesus Christ is the way to get to the Father and it is through Him that you must pray.

You have been given a mediator in Jesus who was beaten, rejected and hung on a tree for the sins of the world. You have been instructed on how to approach God in prayer in the name of Christ. There is no way around this rule and there are no exceptions, even for His mother or the so-called saints or for any of your dead relatives. None of those people will help you, none of those people are able to provide you with anything and none of those people have the approval of God to stand as a mediator for you.

Do you think that God takes it lightly that so many ‘Christians’ ignore the words of His Son every day and are praying in the name of so many others? It is not something to think of casually. Your prayers are your communication with God and your faith is strengthened by your prayers. God does listen to the prayers of the faithful and the prayers of those whose hearts genuinely seek to worship Him in spirit and truth. Be serious in your prayers as that is the way that you approach God. Think of the holiness of the tabernacle and how so very few could actually come close. Think of the instructions to Israel about the holiness of God and how He must be worshipped. Jesus is now the mediator of your faith and it is necessary to approach both Jesus and God with reverence and awe. Do not be casual in your faith, in your prayers or in your attitude about God and Jesus Christ. Take your faith seriously so that you are able to enter through the narrow gate. Pray as the Lord has instructed you and do not turn to the right or to the left.

“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:1-4 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS PASTOR JOHN

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: DESPAIR

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: LIVING LIFE

“Cursed be the day in which I was born! Let the day not be blessed in which my mother bore me!” Jeremiah 20:14 (NKJV).

Pastor John Collins: Sometimes it is hard to hold onto what
you cannot see

Who has not felt despair pulling on their world that seems to outweigh any hope that may exist? This life is full of ugly truths and disappointing days that will rip your heart out if you let it. There are valleys and shadows of a darkness that is uncompromising. People who find themselves at low points may turn to substances, whether prescription or illegal or over the counter in order to dull their pain and put off the agony of reality. It is at these low times when you feel as though you have nothing to hang on to, nothing to live for and nothing to pull you out of the darkness that faith is most important. For some, it is these dark spaces that create faith and for others it is the place that creates the doubt that challenges one’s faith. Sometimes it is hard to hold on to what you cannot see.

The human spirit is amazingly resilient. We are tougher than we realize. The truth is that there will come a time or many times in a person’s life that will leave you low and wanting to curse not only the world but your place in it. We are created with a great capacity to feel great emotions both high and low and we are capable of great compassion for each other and need to find the ability to have compassion for ourselves, not in any superficial or selfish way but in a way that allows us to let God into our hearts in order to be healed by Him. We need to choose to not allow pain to overwhelm us when we will be confronted with pain every day, whether or not that pain is our own personally or collectively. You see, when there is hurt in this world we need to make an even greater effort to love more. The more that we can genuinely love, beginning with loving God, who in turn allows us to love ourselves, not selfishly but with compassion and the ability to forgive ourselves so that we don’t go on punishing ourselves for past mistakes, bad choices or tragedies that we internalize and take on guilt for and that allows us to be able to love others with sincerity and truth. We have to be able to see the big picture as well as the little picture at the same time. Not only do we need to realize that God does have a plan and that He has not forgotten us nor forsaken us but know your life matters, what you do and who you love matters and that love needs to allow for forgiveness, acceptance and hope to shine through the darkness.

Pastor John Collins: "Do not grow bitter for having known the
darkness because without it you could appreciate the light"

If you have not experienced pain of the soul that sucks the breath right out of you then you have not lived. If you have not stood back and felt awe for the world we live in then you have not awakened to the truth of God. The entire human experience will bring both despair and joy beyond imagination and knowing both allows you to be a better person and a person of compassion and truth. God is good and will not leave you alone. Do not grow bitter for having known the darkness because without it you could not appreciate the light.

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassion's fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, therefore I hope in Him!’” Lamentations 3:22-24 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: CHAUVINISM?

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS:  GOD IS PRO-SALVATION

Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” Genesis 1:26 (NKJV)

Pastor John Collins:  "If you are a man or woman with an attitude of
self-righteousness or defensiveness, you are not right with God"

Is God a male chauvinist? Is the Bible geared toward male chauvinism? There are plenty of men who adhere to this belief and use it to justify their domination of women and there are plenty of women who adhere to this belief and use it to justify their hatred of men and their defensiveness of ‘girl power’. Let me set the record straight for all of those who like to blame God and the Bible for everything that is wrong in their lives and in this world; God is NOT a male chauvinist!!

God is pro salvation, be it for a man or a woman. God created both male and female and each have their responsibilities to God, to their families, to each other and to themselves. God does not want women to be dominated and treated with contempt just like He doesn’t want any race to be dominated and treated with contempt. God did not create one to be superior to the other but instead created both to complement each other. Man and woman were created to be teammates and to help each other through life. God wants salvation to come to all which is why He sent Jesus. Jesus is not only for the men or the Jews.

People will blame God for every little thing and that is just ridiculous. What people should be most concerned with is their own salvation and that only comes to the righteous and humble of heart. If you are a man with the attitude of superiority, you are not right with God. If you are a woman with the attitude of defensive self-righteousness, you are not right with God. God wants you to become humble, as Jesus was humble. This life thing is not about who is better, who has more, who comes first, who is above and who is below in status. This life thing is about godliness, kindness, love, forgiveness and grace. God is willing to show mercy to men and women and God is just in His judgment of men and women. Humans are the flawed beings that like to blame and need to feel more important than others. Believe me, God knows His worth, He is just waiting for you to realize yours, as a Christian who obeys His Son.

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Genesis 2:25 (NKJV).

 LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: SEE-SAW CHRISTIAN

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: BACKSLIDING

“For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.  But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ‘A dog returns to his own vomit,’ and, ‘a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.’” 2 Peter 2:20-22 (NKJV).

Ah, the backslider, those slippery paths, that jumbled mess of a highway system that has him lost, confused and picking that well-traveled road. The see-saw of the decided Christian then the undecided Christian who misses the fun and back and forth. 

There has been a weakening of the term backslider for the Christian. Backsliding should not be taken lightly and although God is merciful and compassionate, God is also not stupid and is very aware of the desires of your heart and the choices that you make based on them. You cannot claim to be a Christian on Sunday and having been out drinking and whoring on Saturday night think that you are pleasing God in any way. God knows if you are genuine in your faith or not. God knows if you are truly committed to becoming righteous and God knows if you are genuinely working toward accomplishing that goal. Once you choose to be a Christ follower you should do so with a complete heart without turning from that choice.

Christians should not be casual in their faith and lazy in their efforts to claim their place in heaven. You are not guaranteed tomorrow so you should never wait to seek the Lord and you should never be complacent in your faith. Never take backsliding with a casual attitude but be forceful in your determination to see your life through with obedience to the Lord. What do you think the Christian faith would look like today if Paul had gotten lazy and inconsistent in his pursuit of doing the Lord’s will? It is necessary to claim consistency in your walk with God.

“But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’” Luke 9:62 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: FREELY OFFERED

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: WHEN NO ONE IS LOOKING...

“Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which makes a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.’” Mark 12:41-44 (NKJV).

You cannot only be a Christian when things are going good in your life and you cannot only be a Christian towards those whom you like and approve of. The whole point of being a Christian is to be Christ-like and believe me, Jesus was kind to those whom He knew to be sinners and those whom He would not approve of, which is the reason that He was sent to earth, to save those who were lost. Jesus gave all that He had down to His last breath, for us.

Many people take their own lives and situations too seriously and become defensive and ignore those who are around them. Many people justify their self-absorption by claiming tragedy, turmoil, victimhood and obligations. You cannot justify acting nasty or dismissive to others because you are not in a comfortable situation or in a place of stability. God tests you on how you behave under pressure, under stress and in the tough situations. God tests you all of the time and if you really are interested in how you are doing, just go and read the Sermon on the Mount and see how you measure up.

The words of Christ when He spoke are not to be dismissed, they are to be obeyed and that is how you will be tested. God doesn’t want you to wait until you are happy and financially stable to help another. It is your suffering that makes you able to have compassion and it is your willingness to put another before yourself that makes you rich.

Be willing to be a follower of Christ when no one is looking and be willing to open yourself up to another when they are in need. Not everyone needs money as charity. There are so many lonely people in this world that need love and faith. Be willing to offer both freely because God knows that Jesus always will.

“Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have the glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.” Matthew 6:2 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: HELL IS REAL

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: HELL-IT'S A CHOICE

“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed, rather than having two hands, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched-where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’” Mark 9:43-44 (NKJV).

Mark 9:43 Jesus preaches Hell

Jesus goes on to say the same of your foot and your eye, which if it were to cause you to sin, you should cut it off or pluck it out. That is a brutal truth that is said in order to make the hearer and the reader realize just how important it is for a person to seek to be obedient to God in this life and to not sin. It is also very important for every person living to realize the absolute truth of hell, that it is a place of torment and those that are judged worthy of deserving hell, do indeed go there and everyone who does go there will be there for eternity and the suffering will never stop.

That is not what people want to hear. It is fire and brimstone preaching that our grandparents listened to but we don’t want to hear it, right? There are even many so-called Christians who refuse to accept that existence of hell and have chosen instead to delude themselves and say that “their God” would never create a place of eternal torment and that “their God” is a loving God who would never hurt His children and that means that hell is just being separate from the presence of God, or it is just a metaphor, or it is symbolic of some other state in which we may find ourselves during life or temporarily after death but it is not eternal nor is it a final judgment of torture. That is just wrong thinking and as much as people do not want to hear it or accept the truth of it, hell is real, just as heaven is real.

A choice of good and bad since the beginning

You cannot have one without the other. There was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden and that means that there has been the choice of good and bad since the beginning. Yes, all that we do in life is a choice and it all leads to the ultimate day of reckoning for everyone. There will be a time in which all will matter and will determine where you spend eternity. Are you going to be forever in heaven or in hell? Are your choices selfish ones, are your choices made with God and His will in mind and do you believe in the truth of the righteousness and truth of God, in the sacrifice of Jesus and in the available to you, through faith? These are things that you need to be aware of as you go through the day to day activities of your life, as you grow up, get a job, get married, have and raise children and do your best to be a person that can look yourself in the mirror in the morning and feel good about. Could you sit down with God and have a conversation knowing that He knows every single thought and feeling you have ever had and knows every single thing you have ever done alone and with every single person you have ever come into contact with? Could you honestly sit down with God and trust that you have done all that you could to obey Him and not sit there justifying your life?

Don’t waste what time you have been given with denials that are only good to serve your own disobedience. God will not give up on you and you should not give up on you but you must know that you are only given a very limited amount of time here on earth.  You should live that life with purpose knowing that your priorities will indeed have you sitting down with God one day so that you don’t have to live with regret while suffering the torments of the damned for all eternity.

“For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.” Mark 9:49-50 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: CHURCH SHOULD TEACH!!!

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: boring church?!!

Church should be inspired by GOD teaching! Not boring.

“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” 2 Timothy 4:2 (NKJV).

It does not take a person of great mental gymnastics to recognize the reason that charismatic preachers and musical ministers have claimed the hearts of so many ‘Christians’. Traditional church with traditional preachers equals boring church that families have been members of that only have their doors still open due to obligatory ‘respect and allegiance’. Traditional church is a snooze-fest!!!!

Church should be led by a pastor who is filled with the Holy Spirit and is inspired in their teaching of the word of God. Church should TEACH you how to apply the gospel to your life and why!!! Church should not be a concert, a motivational speaking class, a boring sermon recited by a boring pastor or a boring lesson with readings from the bible that are not applicable or relevant to your life.

The bible teaches you how to live your life, the gospel teaches you that Jesus Christ died for you and He teaches you that you must obey Him to claim the reward of heaven. Church should be a wakeup call for you to recognize your sin and to evaluate your choices in life. Church should be about teaching you to love Jesus and worship Him and the Father.

Times Square Church, founded by David Wilkerson

Boring traditional church does not claim the attention of our children and by making this experience a part of their Sunday is not helping them become true followers of Christ. You would be better off keeping them home, spending an hour reading some scriptures and talking about why it matters to obey God, why it matters to remain pure and why it matters that they should not approve of the filth in the world nor partake of the bounty thereof. Exciting music and inspirational speakers are another influence that lacks the reverence of God, the seriousness of worship and makes the gospel shallow.

Music is wonderful to worship with as long as the preaching is full of substance and godly wisdom and is the focus of the service. When seeking a church be picky and be aware of whether your children are sitting there in bored silence because you say they must or if they are paying attention and for that matter, how are you feeling about the service yourself? Just because something is traditional does not mean that it is what will guide your soul into heaven.

“You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:1-2 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, BELIEVE THAT, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS