PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: EASTER

From John Collins, Evangelist:

Happy Easter to all of you! As we gather today to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ we should have grateful hearts that are full of love. Many of us today will be getting together with family and will entertain the little ones and share joy in watching them. As you gaze upon those precious children today, I want you to think of their heavenly futures and know that it is your responsibility as parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and loved ones to guide their precious souls toward knowledge and truth in Jesus Christ.

Let us not forget our foundation of faith and remember to pass that on. Our belief and hope is to be shared with our families as we know that family is important to God. We are meant to come together and be able to speak of the gospel and Christ and to rejoice in the hope that He provides.

Every holiday has become commercialized in so many ways that we need to avoid getting caught up in it all. Let us have gracious attitudes and welcoming homes and hearts today. And be encouraged and encouraging to others to not let this be just one of the days of the year that you celebrate Jesus.

Our Lord and Savior loves you and wants you to acknowledge Him in your hearts, homes, prayers and lives. Be open to His love and be ready to serve Him with loyalty and devotion and be prepared to receive peace and blessings.

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

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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). 

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: TORAH

From John Collins, Evangelist:

Jesus answered them and said, ‘My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.” John 7:16-17 (NKJV)

Christianity is going through a crisis of immense proportions. People have been waking up to the truth of the history of the church, to the paganism within the church and to the abuse of grace that has produced so much disobedience to God. Jesus was very clear in stating that you must obey the Father and not just believe, for it is those who love Him that are obedient. That being said, there are Christians everywhere who are taking their wake up call that was from God and jumping ship all together. There are Christians who have desired to start at the beginning, get to know the Torah and study the word of God to know what sin is, what obedience consists of, and what is promised in the prophecies. You have Christians going from learning about the feasts and wanting to observe them which has led to many seeking out rabbis to teach them which has led to them ditching Jesus and taking the steps to convert to Judaism. This is a problem and a big one. Those who are weak in their faith are finding themselves being convinced that Jesus is not the Son of God, that He was not the Messiah and that He was not even Torah observant Himself, but introduced pagan beliefs to His followers and created a new religion that has nothing to do with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Heaven forbid, but, it is true.

I will be very clear on this. God clearly instructed His feasts to be observed, they are prophetic and should be part of your knowledge. God clearly said that swine is an abomination, not only in the Torah but in Isaiah and unclean birds and detestable beasts are mentioned in Revelation which means that there are still clean and unclean animals. God said that the Sabbath was eternal and a sign between Him and His people and that keeping it would bring blessings. Now, there are many who claim that Jesus nailed to the cross all of the law of Moses, but, in truth what He did was pay the price of the curse of the law, as sin brought death and His death brings life, so we escape the penalty that our sin demands. There are many verses that clearly indicate that you should keep the law, but, there are the verses about grace too and there are so many parts of the law that are not possible to keep so there are many possible stumbling blocks to trip the believer up.

What does God want from you? He wants you to believe in Jesus and He wants to become a person after His own heart. How do you do that? You not only love your neighbor as yourself, but you study the word of God, you do your best to be obedient. Always think of the Sermon on the Mount and know that you are to not only obey the letter of the law, but more importantly, you are to obey the spirit of the law. Remember Jesus said, ‘Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.’ Matt. 5:19 (NKJV). Are you going to hell for not keeping the feasts? Certainly not, especially if you didn’t know. If you know, should you keep them to the best of your ability? Yes. Should you keep Sabbath? Certainly. If you work and are providing for your family, will God know and also know your heart? Yes. Jesus has given us freedom to trust Him, to love Him, to find the strength to forgive, to let go of hurt and find peace, to stop gossiping and to stop using our bodies to sin. By His stripes, we are healed.

Those who choose to honor God, to obey Torah and to seek to worship Him as it instructs, that is good as long as you don’t find yourselves lost in Jewish teachings, pitching Jesus into the trash bin and chucking your salvation into the toilet. To those who choose to continue to worship Jesus and God as they always have and to ignore the Torah people and the confusion that is running rampant, stay in prayer and trust that the Holy Spirit of God will guide you and keep you. It is better to cling to Jesus and trust in His grace than it is to see Christianity as only evil, Judaism as the only truth and lose your salvation through confusion, doubt and thereby ultimately rejecting your Savior.

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

LOVE THAT CROSS PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: A PITY PARTY

From John Collins, Evangelist: 

“Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:4-6 (NKJV).

This world is not innocent. So, why do so many take things so personally and get so offended by the grief that comes with life? Why do so many place the blame squarely upon the shoulders of God? What is wrong with sorrow and grief? It teaches you to appreciate the joy and hope. What is wrong with sickness and death? It teaches you that there are seasons to life and health is not a guarantee. What is wrong with loss? It teaches you to appreciate what you have. There is beauty and wonder that we have feelings at all. Life is precious and filled with the ability to emotionally connect with others and death is filled with hope because Jesus has made it possible for you to continue loving those that you love.

People want to feel wounded and offended that they have suffered in this life and they want someone to blame and want to complain about it all, to be the victim. There are victims in this life and there are terrible things that happen but that is part of living among others who have the same opportunity as you have and that is free will. There are bad people in this world and there is evil in this world and that is something that we all have to deal with for now. It doesn’t mean that anyone has the right to blame God or to sit on the pity pot because as long as there is breath in your body, there is hope for salvation and you will not be gaining salvation while there is resentment for God and bitterness toward Him because you find your sufferings too big to accept.

Jesus did not grow old. Jesus did not get gray hair and lose His eyesight. Jesus did not raise a family and rock His child to sleep. Jesus did not take vacations and travel around the world to see different places. Jesus did not have the luxury of a long life. Jesus came to this world and from His earliest age was doing the work of His Father. Jesus concerned Himself with His people, His land and the salvation of this world. Jesus taught others and took the time to heal others and be kind. Jesus is perfect and yet He suffered for you. Jesus was ridiculed and mocked, beaten and hung on a cross to die. For you.

This is not a fairy tale that you have outgrown. This happened. Jesus is not just some man that lived long ago. Jesus is the Son of God and your Savior. Think about just how much you do have to be thankful for this week. As you make your plans to gather together for a meal and rejoicing, think about the times that Jesus gathered with His people for a meal. Jesus always was thinking of others, the salvation of souls. In the end that is what counts because the soul is eternal and we should all be thinking in that manner, maybe then awareness of the enormity of the gift that Christ has made possible for us all would truly sink in and gratefulness, the kind that produces life, would follow.

“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body.’ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until the day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.’” Matthew 26:26-29 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

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

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: PRAYER WORTHY

From Pastor John Collins:

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4 (NKJV).

Many times, when we are going through tough times or are experiencing tragedy or extreme hardships, we will pray to God and ask for His help, for a miracle or for strength to get through. Many times, when we are not suffering, we pray to God and ask for this or that or something that we want. In order to have our prayers answered we must first seek to become worthy of answered prayers. What does that mean, ‘worthy of answered prayers’?

God does not answer prayers from non-believers although many non-believers seek His help in times of trouble. God does not answer the prayers of the unrighteous which means that He is not creating financial stability in the lives of those who do not follow His Son. Many people attribute their ‘success’ to God when He had nothing to do with it. God wants the believer to recognize their need for a Savior and to come in submission to the foot of the cross. In order to have your prayers answered, genuinely answered by God, you must follow the steps of the believer which is repentance, submission, seeking to obtain righteousness and a pure heart through obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

You cannot expect God to listen to any of your prayers if you are not bothering to listen to the words of Jesus and obey them. You must seek heaven above all else and you will find yourself praying for the fruit of the Spirit to become yours and you will find yourself praying for all of the right things and those prayers will be answered. When you pray for righteousness first and mean it, then God will be for you and not against you. Look at Solomon who wanted wisdom so that he could rule as God would have him rule and God gave him wisdom and then so much more. It is not about the stuff in this life, it is about the richness of the spiritual life that you can have and in having that rich spiritual life you can be such a blessing to others and that is the heart of the gospel that will ultimately have you receiving the prize of entry into heaven.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN BELIEVE THAT

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

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: HEALING THE HEART

From Pastor John Collins:

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 (NKJV).

Sometimes it may be difficult to get over wounds in your life. Sometimes you may not feel that you are valuable. Sometimes you grow up and have left over scars from the process that can lead to low self-worth, addictions, grudges, resentments and self-sabotaging behavior. It can be hard not to blame others and end up blaming yourself for all kinds of things that just lead to more pain. Sometimes it is just so hard to let go of past hurts and to find the optimism for the future and the joy for today. We all hurt and we all struggle. Faith in the Lord is what allows His love to come into our hearts and heal us. Knowing the value that Jesus places on us and the value that God places on us is where true love begins. It is important to know that you are loved without end and that God wants a relationship with you.

You are worth it. You are unique and you are strong. You are capable of overcoming and you are capable of forgiveness in your life. You are filled with the capacity to be kind and to share love greater than you have ever known. Jesus is there for you and He cares for you. Jesus walks with you and you do not need to feel unworthy, unloved or unwanted, ever. You may have been hurt in life, you probably experienced pain in childhood as well as doubt and fear and awkwardness but that is part of growing and maturing. Life is learning to accept human weakness and human failure, knowing that life is full of lessons. You will make mistakes and you will overcome and you can know that no matter what, Jesus is there for you. You matter. Your heart is capable of healing because you are loved.

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Philippians 4:23 (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: OUR ESSENCE, OUR CHOICE

From Pastor John Collins:

“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:8-9 (NKJV).

The story of mankind began long ago. The story of the planets, the stars and the sun and moon began long ago. There are those who want do debate the specifics about these topics, how it all happened and the timing of it all. There are those who devote their entire lives to discovering the answers to these things. For me, it is simple and miraculous and awe inspiring. But, the reality of us, our world and all that surrounds it, as amazing as those truths remain, there is a bigger story, an infinite story and one that takes precedent over them all. Our souls are the very essence of us, not our flesh and God has more to consider in His timeline of things than just this generation, He has all generations to consider.

We may wonder at the timing of God but He knows the timing from beginning to everlasting and He knows the timing of this world and what each generation will encounter, produce and overcome. There are those who would expect God to step in and prevent the bad and keep us all from experiencing complications, loss and fear. But that is not His job. He created and we are given the free will to do with our lives as we choose. When God does step in and guide, correct and encourage it is because at those times God creates an opportunity for the blessed generation that receives His direct interaction with mankind and it is up to the following generations to continue in obedience and faith. We, as a whole, have not lived up to our potential nor our obligations as God’s creation. Whether we want to admit it or not, there is a war going on in the Spirit. There is evil that wants your souls to choose sin over salvation. Satan rebelled and took 1/3 of the angels down to hell with him and the opportunity to choose God is a daily one. The time will come that God does step in again and what can you do until that intervention arrives? Do you know the bible? Do you pray and what are you praying for? God is not a genie in the sky to give you the winning lottery numbers but is a Father who wants your soul to come home to Him.

God is long-suffering and we need to be thankful for that. God does want salvation for the souls here on earth and we need to be thankful for that because He will move in His time to give this world another chance. Let us prepare to receive the revelations that He is willing to give through humility and gratefulness. Pray with your family and have hope in your heart. Read your bibles and increase your knowledge. Go and sin no more.

“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.  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” 1 Peter 5:6-9 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS PASTOR JOHN COLLINS