THE VOICE OF GOD-PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES

From John Collins, Evangelist:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth-those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” John 5:25-29 (NKJV).

This is one of the truths of the Bible and of this world and the perfection of God that should amaze everyone. God is all-knowing and from the beginning of this world and the first deaths of this world those souls were held in waiting for Jesus. They slept and their faith while they lived and the deeds that they did would speak for themselves as to whether or not they would believe in Jesus Christ when He spoke. Those that were true believers in God and those who lived by faith heard Jesus and believed in Him immediately upon waking. Those who were not believers in God and did not live by faith awoke to condemnation and eternal hellfire.

God will always be perfect and this world has yet to have all revealed to them. When new revelations come, as with Jesus, those who truly belong to God will hear the truth and follow that truth. There will be sons of damnation that will try to challenge your faith and your belief but God knows those who are His and He will always call them home. Trust that if you truly want to belong to God, you will because you will choose Him over this world and He will hold you safe from all.

“I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” John 5:30 (NKJV). 

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PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: HELL IS FOR REAL

From Pastor John Collins:

“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).

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

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: GOD VALUES WOMEN

FROM PASTOR JOHN COLLINS:

“Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.” John 20:16-18 (NKJV).

Mary Magdalene believed in Jesus, sought Him out, anointed Him with oil, wept on His feet and wiped those feet with her hair. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, learned from Him and was a disciple of His. Mary was the one that Jesus chose to see first after He was resurrected. Mary was brave and humble when she went to Him in that house of the Pharisee as she cared not what others thought of her, nor spoke of her but cared only to go to Jesus and kiss His feet and seek His forgiveness and His acceptance and Jesus not only gave that forgiveness, accepted her love for Him but spoke that she would be remembered for her actions and He demonstrated her value when He chose to go to Mary first and to give her the honor of knowing He was alive and to relate that information along with her witness of Him to his brethren.

It took courage to follow Jesus during His ministry and it took faith to know Him as the Son of God. Mary had that courage and had great faith in her Lord. There were dark centuries that followed the beginnings of the Christian faith. There have been centuries of oppression of not only the uneducated but of women as well. Women have come a long way from the days of the dark ages, of the days of education denial (for many parts of the world, anyway), and from the denial of equality of the genders. Women push forward in their search for that equality and for the opportunities to make their mark in this world but I want to remind women that their mark has been made and has never been taken for granted by God. God values women and Jesus demonstrated the love that He had for Mary by going to her first, by teaching her and standing up for her. Women should never forget that their value begins in the home, for they are the caretakers, the bringers of life and the mothers of our children. Do not underestimate the value of those things as being a mother allows you to teach your children how to get to heaven, how to live boldly and with faith in this dark world and being a wife allows you to help your husband be a part of a family that relies on God. A woman’s role does not have to be one thing or another but it should always be a role of strength and dignity with love and compassion at its core. That is the love of God within you and God has provided women with the complex ability to keep a family together and to guide it in love and faith with trust and truth at its center.

There always seems to be an agenda on the table and as progress ticks away and women continue to fight for what they believe to be most important to them I can only hope that they remember to value what has always belonged to them from the beginning.  Family is everything and while equal pay may seem to be the biggest priority to some this world seems to be allowing the family to fail. Industrial success will never replace the failures of our homes and women need to find the courage, like Mary, to believe in our Savior and to brave the opinions of others to declare their loyalty to Him as they live up to the great responsibilities that have been entrusted to them. It is not easy to choose faith over finances, faith over popularity, faith over apparent success or faith over personal gain but in the end heaven is waiting and families need strong women to guide them. 

“And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.  But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15 (NKJV)

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Read more about John Collins Ministries or reach me, Pastor John, at John Collins Ministries, www.johncollinsministries.com.

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: JESUS' ENEMIES

From Pastor John Collins:

“The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’” Psalm 110:1 (NKJV).

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Matthew 7:21 (NKJV).

Most people like to think of the truly evil as the enemies of Jesus. Most people would see themselves and their loved ones as loved by Jesus and part of the kingdom of God. Most people see themselves as good people and deserving of going to heaven. Most people are in denial about the perfect and righteous judgement of God.

What would you do if Jesus told you personally that you are His enemy? How would you feel if Jesus let you know that you had offended Him and you were not in His good graces? Can you imagine such a thing? What would you do to change that if it were true? What would be the circumstances that would make that true? Would it be true if you were a liar, a whore, a manipulator, a gossip, a greedy person, a person who had an abortion without guilt, a person who uses drugs and alcohol to excess, a person who holds hate in their heart, a person who won’t forgive, a person who is vain, a person who does not believe in Jesus, a person who does not believe in God?

Jesus did die for our sins on that cross so long ago but He did not die so that His sacrifice could be taken in vain and that He could become the justification for those who choose to continue to live in sin and think that it is covered by His blood. If you want to have salvation then you have to obey the Son of God.

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on the earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11 (NKJV).

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PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: WHAT MATTERS?

From Pastor John Collins:

“Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14 (NKJV).

We have fallen down on the job people! When did we get lazy in raising our children, apathetic in watching the downfall of our society, encouraging in sinful behavior and unwilling to be part of the solution while loving complaining about it all. When did the blame fall on everyone else’s shoulders while we stand and watch our country burn?

We are systematically ruining our existence and doing nothing worthwhile about it. Why? Because not enough people want to stop their own nonsense long enough to make a change first. Everyone wants the other person, party, gang, opposition etc. to give in first because they all want to win. Stubborn, selfish, foolish pride and egos will tear families apart, tear cities apart and tear this country apart.

We have got to get to a place where the choice to do right, stop doing wrong become ours as a whole, not just individually. We need to find our humanity amongst each other and choose to be God’s people and not our own people. In the end, the choice is up or down and there is nothing in this life that is worth stopping you from going up. Whatever fight is being fought, whatever battle is being lost or won, whatever argument is being raged and whatever moral decay is the price that is paid is just not worth it.

God is what matters, no matter how often people want to deny that fact, it remains a fact. Jesus is what matters and our commitment to walking the path that He has designated for us is what matters. The violence, the drugs, the alcohol, the hatred, the partying, the greed, the lust, the pride, the status, the betrayal and pain of it all is just so base and such a waste of time. Choose life by choosing Jesus.

“See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.” 1 Thessalonians 5:15 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, BELIEVE THAT, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: WITCHCRAFT

From Pastor John Collins:

“There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.” Deuteronomy 18:10-11 (NKJV).

“Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:31 (NKJV).

“And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.” Leviticus 20:6 (NKJV).

We live in a new age world that is modern and advanced in thought and deed. We are a knowledgeable people and we think that we have come so far from the dark ages and the ignorance of superstitions, right? Our society is fascinated with ghosts, mediums, psychics, astrologers, witches and the like. We watch shows about them, we go and have our palms read, our cards read and we wonder what it must be like to have the gift of sight. We have been played by the devil into accepting this a part of accepted society. We look up our horoscopes and wonder if we are compatible with our partners. What sign are you?

Satan has always been clever and just look at what time has done for him. We have learned to accept forbidden practices as a natural God-given gift to some. We think that the one who talks with the dead is working for God. As if God wants us to communicate with those that have died just to comfort ourselves. Jesus said to let the dead bury the dead. In other words, those who die without faith and salvation cannot be helped by you nor can you help them. Those that die with faith and salvation do not need your help and you still cannot be helped by them. You can be helped by focusing on Jesus Christ and ensure that your faith gets you home to heaven.

Just because something becomes familiar to us should not mean that it has become condoned by God. The bible is clear about psychics and mediums and we should never assume that just because society deems them acceptable and God-given talents that they are. We allow ourselves to be seduced into following those things that are against God. We allow ourselves to be talked into accepting those things that God has forbidden. What is your fruit of the forbidden tree that you eat from? We each can be lured into accepting what tempts us. Are you driven to connect with a loved one who died? Do you feel the need for a psychic to tell you when you will marry? Do you not trust that God is with you? Do you seek the advice and guidance of Satan and his minions because it has been deemed okay by society? Where do you find your solace? Does your faith allow you to seek God and Jesus alone?

Do not be deceived by a society that will enable the destruction of your soul. Psychics, mediums and those that would prey on your vulnerability are not going to be of service. Cling to Jesus and all of His glory and know that He wants you to be free of any influence that would cause your soul to perish. Be true to your faith and all will be will. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (NKJV).

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PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: PAYBACK

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: RISK

From Pastor John Collins:

“Lord, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am. Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.” Psalm 39:4-5 (NKJV).

People take undue risks with their lives every day. Some people drive crazy, some take drugs and drink too much alcohol and drive, some have chosen to be in gangs, to deal drugs, to steal and break in to places and some just like to fight. People take risks with their lives in the activities that they choose to do and some have risky jobs that require bold courage.

I don’t believe that people value life as they should and I don’t believe that the youth of this world values life as they should. Each person that is born is given a certain amount of time to get it right so that they can get to heaven and too many risk that life that has been given and don’t claim salvation prior to losing that life.

Life is precious and nobody should take it for granted. There is not any job that is too important to risk your safety on the road. There is not any fight that needs to be fought so that your life is taken in a bar or in an alleyway at night.

Don’t take the amount of time that you are given here on earth for granted. You never know what tomorrow will bring and you never know when it will all be over and judgment must come. Don’t risk your life for foolish reasons and don’t delay calling on Jesus. Time goes by so quickly and there is not any reason to rush off to join the dead by risking your life.

Take your faith seriously and take your life seriously because every Christian needs as much time as possible to get right with God and to bear fruit in the name of Jesus.

“The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works. No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.” Psalm 33:13-17 (NKJV).

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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).

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PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: SELF CHECK

Pastor John Collins: Future hope

“From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!’ But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’” Matthew 16:21-23 (NKJV).

Pastor John Collins: you cannot allow your mistakes to drive you
away from God, choose to seek His forgiveness

When Peter heard what was to befall Jesus, he was in denial and thought that it should not happen. His Lord should not be killed and should not experience what was told to them. Jesus, being the Son of God, should not be made to suffer and die and Peter definitely did not understand the resurrection.

It is not easy for mere humans to recognize the ways of God and to know the miracles and hope that suffering produces. In Jesus’ name, with faith, there is now the hope of forgiveness and of acceptance into heaven. With your own suffering comes humility and growth in your faith. Faith is something that you have to fight for and want. Faith is not a given and it is not just a belief. It is a trusting and a knowledge that Jesus did die for your sins and with this knowledge comes a willingness to live in hope and obedience to the word of God.

It is not possible to go through this life without sinning and it is impossible to not have disappointed God at some point in your life, but what is most important is what you do about it. Peter was given the keys to the kingdom and a few minutes later was called Satan and told he was an offense to Jesus. It is easy to allow your humanly interpretations of situations and your own personal desires to get in the way of the will of God. Every so often you need to do a self-check and examine your motives and desires in this life and to see if they line up with the word of God. Do your best to not interfere with the will of God and do your best to not confuse the will of God with your will. You can tell the difference between the two by examining which one will produce righteousness in your life. Which choices in your life will bring about godliness?

When you feel that you have disappointed God then it is time for you to repent. Peter made mistakes and he learned from them. When Peter knew that he had disappointed Jesus, he repented and asked for forgiveness. You can’t live in perpetual guilt and you cannot allow your mistakes to drive you away from God but must become humble so that you choose to come before Him and seek His forgiveness and His guidance so that you can move forward in your life with confidence and trust, knowing that you are seeking the kingdom of heaven above all.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV).

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PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: PREVENTING SUICIDE

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: BURDENS OF LIFE

“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:3-5 (NKJV).

Sometimes life just beats you up and sometimes your faith is tested more than you think that you can bear. It is important to begin and maintain that relationship with Jesus so that you can be sure that all of your struggles in life will produce the results that you seek. You should be seeking first and always to obey the Lord and get to heaven and your entire life should produce godly fruit that is evident of your conviction.

When you are not striving to do the will of God and you are living your life doing your own will and pursuing your own desires then you can be sure that any pitfalls that you fall into are not about testing your faith but are about providing opportunities for you to begin to pursue your faith. If you are a person who devotes each day to becoming more Christ-like then you can be sure that all of your struggles are not in vain but are a product of your learning to trust in God and also learning what is approved of by God while strengthening your character and preparing you for heaven. Only the pure and the approved get to go to heaven and just believing in Jesus does not mean you will be welcomed into Paradise. Remember that even the demons believe.

Perseverance is a challenge for everyone. It is not easy to feel burdened and tormented in life and it is not easy to deal with all that may happen that produces loss and hurt and scars. The beauty of submitting to the will of God and in obeying the Lord and in calling upon Jesus is that you know that when your faith is genuine, their strength is your strength and their hope for you is complete and they won’t let go. God really does want you to make it home to Him and Jesus really did die for you so that you could go there.

Life is difficult and times are tough and it is nothing new. Give your life to Jesus and commit to being loyal and obedient in your faith and know that no matter what you go through in this journey He will be there for you. Trust that you do have what it takes to persevere and it is worth it to try and try and try. Hold on to the hope that the Lord has given because He does love you.

“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12 (NKJV).

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