PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: I CAN'T

I can't

From John Collins Ministries:

Following the resurrection of Jesus, Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and He appeared unto them later that evening. Thomas was not with them at this appearing and when the other disciples told Thomas of seeing Jesus, he said, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” John 20:25 (NKJV).

Thomas was given the opportunity to do so and when he had, he said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” John 20:28

Thomas walked with Jesus, saw the miracles and knew the power of God. He knew that Jesus would be resurrected and had been told many things prior to them happening. And yet, he doubted. He faltered in the strength of his belief. That did not stop Jesus from wanting him to be an apostle. Jesus always knew who would struggle with what. Jesus knew that Thomas would doubt and Jesus knows that each of us has within us weaknesses in our faith.

There are times when doubt will creep in and erode away at the confidence you feel. There are times when doubt may frustrate you and pull you away from your devotion to God. There are times when you may feel lost and empty, unable to hold on to your faith and hope, wanting the proof of the print of the nails. That doubt is where Satan attacks us the most, in our minds. We must be aware of the enemy and fight the good fight to stay in faith.

At those times of questions and avoidance you must ask yourself what matters to you. You must choose to seek what you hold on to and grab on with all you have got. All that is in this world is passing and what we have is only temporary. The truth of our souls is eternal and is encompassed in our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source of daily confidence and our faith in Him is our true connection to each other.

Struggles and doubts are not unusual and Jesus knows our every fear. He will help you overcome and stand firm in your faith. Yet, you have to make the choice of what you think on, you have to make an effort to keep your mind on things above and not on things that will tear you away from believing in heaven and your day to day life that will lead you there.

Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29 (NKJV).

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PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: HOPE, TRUST, REDEMTION

 From John Collins, Evangelist: Beatitudes for today....

Hope, Trust, Redemption!
Pastor John Collins

“Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion; And to You the vow shall be performed. O You who hear prayer, To You all flesh will come. Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them.” Psalm 65:1-3 (NKJV).

Blessed are you who know the power of the cross and the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Blessed is the lonely pilgrim making his way home because of the hope that the cross provides. 

Blessed is the one who looks upon Jesus with trust and conviction. 

Blessed is the sinner who finds redemption in grace. 

“Blessed is the man You choose, And cause to approach You, That he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple.” Psalm 65:4 (NKJV).

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PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: OLD TESTAMENT RELEVANCE

From Pastor John Collins, Evangelist:

“You will say then, ‘Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.’  Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear.  For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.” Romans 11:19-21 (NKJV).


Why is the Old Testament relevant? It is there to teach you how God deals with His people. As believers in Jesus Christ, you must know what is expected of you in your relationship with God and in order to know this you are to become knowledgeable in how He dealt with the Jews who are the natural branches of the olive tree, while you are of the wild olive tree. 


There is a need to recognize the mistakes that the Jewish people made in their relationship with God so that you do not make the same ones. Do not become overconfident in your faith but always maintain reverence and awe in your contemplation of the Lord. Do not become too caught up in making money and gaining financial success that you forget the basics of your faith. Do not forget to tend to your heart and mind daily and to pray your way through life.


There are just too many people that do not put in any real effort or consistent effort toward getting into heaven but just assume that they are going there. Don’t take Jesus for granted but work your butt off to do as He has told you to do.


Never walk through life with any conceit because you know that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and you believe in Him but have humility and pity for those that have yet to come to that knowledge and be willing to live a life that shines for Jesus so that others may come to the cross because of you.


“Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.” Romans 11:22 (NKJV).


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PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: SEEDS, BITTERNESS AND GOD'S PROMISES

From John Collins Ministries:

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:

looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.” Hebrews 12:14-15 (NKJV).

Bitterness is something that we must be on guard against and we must have complete honesty with ourselves if we are to monitor our hearts so that we can repent if we find ourselves gone astray. Bitterness will creep up on you and it is easy to allow to happen. We like to think of ourselves as deserving the best and we become very offended when others hurt us, reject us and when we perceive that we have not received our ‘due’.

We must be careful to find the balance of self-worth and humility. Sometimes people just don’t think things through with faith. Do you deserve health, happiness, wealth, love, respect, honor, recognition or to walk through this life without hurt? Does the Bible promise that? What about Lazarus? What about our dear Lord Jesus Christ who not only died on the Cross for us but was rejected, told he had a demon, was cursed and taunted, beaten and tormented and forced to carry his own instrument of death?

God does not want us to hurt but there must be a desire for God inside of us and we must come to recognize His lessons and His love. There will be seeds planted in our hearts; seeds of love, anger, hate, joy, bitterness, forgiveness and the list just goes on and is replenished regularly. We must make the choice about which seeds we choose to water and which seeds we choose to pluck out.

We are the children of God and we have Jesus. This world is evil and has no hold upon us. Our home is in heaven and if this is what we know then we should act like it. Remember that we are not promised a blissful life on earth but we are promised that blissful life in heaven, but you have to get there first.

“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper;I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” Hebrews 13:5-6 (NKJV).

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PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: PUSHING BUTTONS

FROM JOHN COLLINS, EVANGELIST: 

“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.” Matthew 18:15 (NKJV).

Wouldn’t it be lovely if we lived in a world where people actually took this to heart? The truth is that we are a bloodthirsty, angry, confrontational and combative people. The Coliseum of Rome held death matches for people and animals and the stands were filled, public hangings and burnings brought crowds time and again, and mobs form as rioting occurs while people revel in ferocious displays of aggressive behavior.

Arguing and fighting is exhausting. There are so many people that have become accustomed to living their lives in continuous battles. Some people are just argumentative and don’t know any other way. When most people encounter confrontational behavior they become defensive and respond in the same manner.

“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” James 1:19-20 (NKJV).

It is very difficult but if you don’t want to live this way and you are then you must choose to disengage and distance yourself from the provocation of fighting. You have to learn to react differently and to act differently. Sometimes this means walking away from those that you are close to. This behavior that is dramatic and disruptive is not conducive to walking through the gates of heaven. Sometimes you have to make a choice about where you want to go and begin to actively work to get there.

There are families that communicate by fighting and there are some who will never stop pushing those buttons. Sometimes you just have to choose to take the high road and walk away. If you are a person who is easily drawn into battle and quickly angered you need to avoid those triggers and seek a peaceful existence. It won’t be immediate but it can come if you work at it and make better choices.

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.” Colossians 3:15 (NKJV). 

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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).

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PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: SOCIAL MEDIA

FROM JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES:

Use what God has given you.....

Be an inspiration to others if the chance is given you

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PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, EVANGELIST: LET US BE CHRISTIANS!

From John Collins Ministries:

“And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord’ 

Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’” Luke 4:17-21 (NKJV). 

Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law. He came and taught, performed miracles and healed. He showed us the Father and the way to heaven. He is everything that is beautiful and true.

Jesus suffered and died and rose again. He lived for us and died for us and lives for us again. We love Him and we thank Him. He is our Savior, our hope and our constant comforter. 

Let us rejoice today in the gifts of the Father. Let us rejoice in Christ our Lord. Let us hold love in our hearts and kindness on our lips. Let us be thankful for the salvation of the Lord.

Let us be ready to forgive and let go of hurt. Let us be full of faith and loyalty to our Creator. Let us love one another as Christ has asked us to. Let us be Christians!

“Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, ‘I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.’” Luke 4:42-43 (NKJV).

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PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, EVANGELIST: HEALTHY FAITH HABITS

FROM JOHN COLLINS, EVANGELIST:

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NKJV).

In this life, we all want to love and to be loved. We want to share a connection that is meaningful whether we realize this or not. This world is shallow and frivolous and impersonal more often than not. We lack intimacy and depth of emotion. We can get lonely so very quickly in life and we can lose our ability to deal with our emotions in a healthy way, if we ever really learned how to deal with them in the first place.

Too often, we will self-sabotage and create messes in our own lives that become habits that undermine our health. There are all kinds of ways to hurt ourselves while remaining in denial such as drugs, alcohol, whoring, over-eating, smoking and so many other ways that put our lives at risk at our own hands.

People put on a smile and cover up pain. People have problems and hurt and don’t always know what to do with that hurt. Be willing to take extra time in your life for those in need of a friend, a conversation, a willing listener and if you are this person who is in need then take some time to get closer to Jesus and He will bring you opportunity to be of service to others and in doing so you will find yourself connected and appreciated.

We are capable of rich friendships, rich love and rich experiences in this life and they all start with knowing the love of God and His Son. Faith heals and a heart that is full of faith is full of love even in the darkest hour.

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29 (NKJV).

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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).

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PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, EVANGELIST: So you've sinned A LOT!!!

SO YOU THINK, "NO WAY"

From John Collins, Evangelist:

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” 1 Timothy 1:15 (NKJV).

Okay, so you have sinned, A LOT!! At what point do you give up and believe that you are not savable? At what point do you believe that God would not forgive you, that only the devil will have you and that you are not worth saving anyway? This is more common than you may think. As many as justify their sin and take Jesus for granted, there are just as many who don’t bother to call on Jesus because deep down they don’t believe that they are worthy of walking the streets of heaven and living in eternal bliss.

Satan has done his work well. He has planted doubts and he has spread so many lies that many have come to believe that they are truth. God is not a cruel dictator in the sky and Jesus wants to forgive you and died for you before you even knew that you needed Him. God is merciful and compassionate and has forgiven the murderer in David, the whore in Solomon, the rebellion in Jonah, the persecutor of the church in Paul, the doubter in Thomas not to mention the sins in the twelve sons of Jacob and He is willing to forgive your sins too.

God is waiting for you to recognize your worth to Him and for you to honor that worth by believing in Him and His Son. The Christian must believe that they are worthy of forgiveness and work to submit to the will of God and to obey the commandments of Christ. It is important that your hope be true and your commitment to living the gospel be complete. You are not supposed to live in sin and just not care and you are not meant to give up on yourself because God does not want to give up on you.

You matter and the proof that you matter was given on the cross while Jesus gave His last breath for you. The Lord says that you matter so do not give up on you and do not give in to the devil.

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”  Philippians 2:12-13 (NKJV).

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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).

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