Here I Am, Lord – – tqministries.com

Just What Does The Lord Say About Becoming His Friend!

” ….. Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto Him for righteousness: and he was called the friend of God.” (James 2:23)

What does it take to be called a friend of God? The above verse tells us that Abraham believed God and by that God declared Him righteous and called him the friend of God. Abraham is a great example of faith and trust in the Lord and certainly the father in the faith for us. Up against such a great man of faith; Do we have any chance that God would consider us a friend? Jesus spoke the most about becoming a friend of God. He said the following regarding it:

“Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

Jesus called those friends for whom He laid down His life. He laid down His life for those that believe that His death on Calvary’s cross paid the sin debt and that by it where declared righteous in the sight of God. The world is lost in sin and the Lord came to remedy this situation for those that understand and see the great love He has for us. The Lord of Glory, humbled himself even becoming a man. There is no greater love than what the Lord did in laying down His life for His “friends.”

“You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you.” (John 15:14)

Jesus identified a friend as one that obeyed Him. His command is to believe in Him and His great sacrifice at the cross. If we have placed our faith in Christ Crucified, we are walking in obedience. He said in Luke 9:23, “If any man will come after Me (in obedience), let him deny himself (our own ability), and take up his cross (looking to the cross for everything) daily (renew our faith daily), and follow Me (can only be done through our faith in His great work at the cross).” This verse sums up just what it is to obey His command.

“….I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you.” (John 15:15)

Jesus shares spiritual truths with His friends. If we know the Lord, the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. John 16:13,14 says this of the Spirit: “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth come, He will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of Himself; but whatever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you.” The Holy Spirit guides us in all truth. He represents Christ and proclaims Christ and Him Crucified to us.

“But God commendeth His love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

“We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)

Jesus’ great love for us called out to us as sinners. He sought us out and died for us while we were far off from Him. We love Him because He loved us enough to come and pay the price for our salvation.

The dictionary defines a friend as someone that we have a bond of mutual affection with. So, what is God’s criteria for being considered a friend of God? More importantly, just who does God consider a friend? Jesus makes this very clear in John Chapter 15 as outlined above. If we believe that the Lord died for us, have placed our faith in His great work on the cross for salvation and sanctification, and are trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth: the Lord considers us a friend – a friend of God. We are not to look to ourselves as somehow being worthy of being considered a friend of God, but we look to the One that loved us and provided everything for us, and now calls us friend. We overcome the world, the flesh and the devil by our faith in the finished work of the cross, and we walk through this life victorious and a friend of God. How great is our God that we would be called a friend of God?

“The Lord your God in the midst of you is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

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It’s an incredible story and one the world as a whole does not acknowledge. That the God of creation would leave His home in glory and humble Himself, becoming a man. You could not even imagine such a thing. His love for us compelled Him to come and rescue us from our hopeless condition as the following verses from Philippians tells us:

Who (Jesus), being in the form of God (being God), thought it not robbery to be equal with God (co-member of the Trinity): But made Himself of no reputation (waived His divine rights), and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:6-8 ).

There is more proof of His resurrection than many events in history. He said He would rise from the dead and He did. After which, He appeared to many (over five hundred). This fact alone should get the world’s attention. Who else in history ever said they would rise from the dead after three days in the grave, and actually did it. 1 Corinthians says the following regarding the witnesses to His resurrection:

And that He (Jesus) was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. And that He was seen (after the Resurrection) of Cephas (Peter), then of the twelve (Apostles). After that, He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once…. (1 Corinthians 15:5,6 )

And then we have all the incredible miracles He performed. To name a few: people were healed of all major diseases, eyesight and hearing restored, some raised from the dead. He even had power over nature, calming storms and walking on the water. Surely the world would take note of these incredible miracles. Unfortunately, no, the world as a whole does not pay much attention to these and does not consider these as proof of His deity; some even attempt to explain away all His miracles.

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: Who went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed of the devil (sin and sickness does not come from God); for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)

Then we have His words. No one ever spoke like Him. The world would certainly see the wisdom of His words and realize that they were above anything man could come up with. Few have. Near the end of his life, the exiled general, Napoleon, had this to say about Jesus after reading the New Testament, “I know men, and I tell you Jesus Christ was not a man.” C S Lewis, the famed British writer, and lay theologian had this to say, ” Either Jesus is the Son of God; or a mad man or worse. But His being just a great teacher? He’s not left that open to us.” Jesus gave us no other alternative, either He was God in the flesh or self-deluded or worse. Any honest person who looks into the life of Christ and reads the Bible would have to come up with the same conclusion. The evidence is overwhelming; Jesus was God in the flesh.

“I and my Father are One” (John 10:30). “…He who has seen Me (Jesus) has seen the Father” (John 14:9). “In the beginning was the word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the word was God. .. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us … ” (John 1:1)

The Bible says that the way to life is a narrow path and that few find it. His miraculous birth, His sinless life, His words, His miracles, and His death and resurrection: all the evidence needed for the deity of Christ is there for all to see. Everyone is without excuse. Jesus pointed the way for those who would come by this narrow path. He said:

“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life: no man comes unto the Father, but by Me.” (John 14:6)

We have a free will and God honors that. We must decide who we will believe. Will we go along with the world, or will we choose the Lord and His way. In the end, every knee will bow to the Lord. We can bow today and receive forgiveness, or we can bow at the judgment where we will not find mercy. Once again, let’s look at what the Bible says abour this, “Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it.” It is my prayer that all reading this article today will be among the few that have chosen “The Way” that leads to life. His Name is Jesus. Because He lives.

“..God has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow …” (Philippians 2:9,10)

“…Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, and your house (whomsoever will).” (Acts 16:31)

Tom Quinn Ministries -TQMINISTRIES.COM 2021

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He Reached Down And Saved Me

A Personal Testimony

As I walked down the dark sidewalk leading to the rectory where the pastor lived, I felt some excitement at the prospect of becoming an altar boy and serving God. When he opened the door, I found him to be a serious person – all business. He asked me to genuflect for him. I guessed that this was some sort of test to see if I would make a good altar boy. Well, If the look on his face would determine my success, then I would fail miserably. I worked on my genuflecting ability and I was made an altar boy and served for 5 years. During that time I did not find God as I had hoped.

However, I do look back on that time with thankfulness. I did not sense God in all that I did, but I was glad that I had attempted to serve him in some way. As the years passed, I grew away from the church and God. I hadn’t found anything real in my quest for the Lord during that time. It seemed to me to be all about giving the right responses at Mass, praying the right pray, attending all the church services, and constantly doing all the church required. But, where was God? I didn’t find Him there and felt that maybe this was all there was to religion. My initial attempt to draw near to the Lord had now become a desire that resided deep within me, but seemingly, without any hope of fulfillment.

Life has a way of getting your attention and I was focused on living it and was not even attending church. Down deep, I heard the Lord calling, but other things got in the way. I was far away from the Lord and church. I had no desire to go back to the church I grew up in. I felt there was nothing there that was worth going back to.

As life would have it, some difficulties arose in my life and I started to question things. The Lord put a book by a Christian author in front of me that changed my life. It was what I found in the book that caught my attention. For the first time in my life, I was exposed to the way of salvation. I had never seen this before. I was mesmerized by it. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I thought that it was too good to be true but soon realized that it could be the only way to God.

The author shared the Gospel, or “Good News”, and truly it was. I had been trying to approach God by my works, while the Bible tells us that it is all by faith. Yes, faith in what Christ did at the cross. I knew from a young age that Jesus died for us on the cross, but was told we had to do our part, It was like he didn’t finish the job. Imagine thinking that we could add anything to His sacrifice for us at Calvary. I had finally come to know Him and have a relationship with Him. Religion is our effort to approach God by what we do. Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship with our Lord. We come just as we are and receive forgiveness and eternal life. Without the Lord, we are all in deep waters and without hope. He will reach down and save all those who come to Him in repentance and faith.

I am responsible to the Lord for what I believe. I cannot stand before Him and point to what my church, or pastor, instructed me to believe. He gave us His Word to guide us. Our church may be going God’s way, but we must know the Bible for ourselves. The Lord gave us His Word so that we would know His Way – the only way to salvation. The Lord will come to each hungry heart and reveal himself to them. His love for us compelled Him to become the sin sacrifice for us and die on a cruel cross. I am somewhat saddened when I think that I might have known and walked with the Lord from early in my life, but I am so grateful that the Lord saw my hungry heart and reached down and saved me. The result is the best outcome that I could ever imagine: I can now say that I know Him and that He knows me. I have finally come into the safe harbor of the “Shelter of the Most High.”

“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters” (Psalm 18:16).

P.S. After coming to the Lord, He spoke to me in my spirit and said that He saw me and was with me the night I walked down that dark sidewalk as a child. I believe He gave me the following verses out of Psalm 91:

“Because he has set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him…. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer Him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver Him and honor Him.”

I believe the Lord saw me seeking him at an early age and watched over me my whole life, and at just the right moment when the difficulties seemed insurmountable; He reached down in His mercy and rescued me. He saw my desire to know Him and serve Him and watched over me through all those years when I was far from Him. We come to Him as we are and we are delivered, and honored by the Lord as “children of God.” It doesn’t get any better than that. We have much to be grateful for!

See the A,B,C’s of Salvation page on the tqministries.com website. Link below.

https://wordpress.com/page/tqministries.com/5448

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Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2021

“My Soul Follows Hard After You…” (Psalm 63:8)

“That I might know Him, and the power of His Resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death” (Philippians 3:10).

In the above verse, the Apostle Paul shares his deep desire to draw closer to the Lord Jesus. Our heartfelt desire, as well, should be that we might draw nearer the Lord and get a further glimpse of His glory. That is, a greater glimpse of the Lord in His love for us. A love that would cause him to live among us as the sinless God/Man and die on a cruel cross for our sins. That we might say with Paul:

“That I might know Him.”

Initially, we come to know Him by placing our faith in Him and what He did for us at the cross. However, what Paul is talking about here is growing closer to our wonderful savior as we pursue Him earnestly each day. When seeking Him is our most treasured desire, John 16:14 says this of the Holy Spirit, “He will glorify Me (Jesus): for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you.”. The Holy Spirit will reveal Jesus to us. Paul goes on to say the following:

“And the power of His resurrection.”

“The power of His Resurrection” is pointing to being raised with Him in “newness of life” (Romans 6:3-5). Because of what Jesus accomplished at the cross, spiritually speaking, we have died with Him, have been buried with Him and have been raised up or resurrected to “newness of life”. His Resurrection also assures all those that love Him that we too will be literally resurrected and be with the Lord forever.

“And the fellowship of His suffering.”

We are to deny ourselves and take up the cross. It’s personal. This speaks of denying ourselves, that is, our own abilities, but also our will. We, by faith, are to follow Him by our daily trust in Jesus and what He accomplished at the cross. He suffered for us on the cross. He said, “Thy will be done” to the Father. We are to have this same attitude of life.

“Being made conformable to His death.”

The dictionary defines the word conform to mean to be or to become similar in form, nature or character. We are not speaking of personal suffering here, although we will undoubtedly go through suffering in this life. Jesus suffered and paid it all at the cross. We are to understand that the only way we can conform to His death is to realize that our faith in the cross both for salvation and sanctification is the only way we can accomplish this. Jesus said, “If any man will come after Me (seek to know and walk with the Lord intimately), let him deny himself (our own willpower, self-will, ability, and strength), and take up his cross (faith in what Jesus accomplished there) daily and follow me.” We must come in faith and yield to the Lord’s will and way. This will become our heartfelt desire as we pursue Him.

As the song says:

This is the air I breathe. Your holy presence living in me. This is my daily bread. Your very word spoken to me. And I, I’m desperate for You. And I, I’m lost without you. (Breathe – composed by Michael W. Smith)

Paul, the master-builder of the church, and I believe one of the greatest examples of what faith in Jesus and the cross can produce in a life, sought to go on with Jesus and to know Him in a deeper way. He knew that the only way to do that was to know Him in His suffering. The cross was the reason He came and if we want to know Him, we must meet Him there. You can hear Paul’s own heartfelt desire in these words he shared with us from Philippians 3:10. May they be ours as well. He loved us with a love that is infinite in nature.

As the following verse from the psalms says:

“I stretch out my hands to You; my soul longs for You, as a parched land. Selah” (Psalm 146:6).

Our desire for Him comes from the Holy Spirit in us drawing us closer to Jesus. Paul expressed a desire for Him that is in all of us that love Him and look for His coming. Our heartfelt desire is “that we might know Him.” Through the desire in us to draw closer to Him, the Holy Spirit is calling us to a place we have not been before. Let us harken to His call. Let this be our heartfelt desire. May the Lord give us a glimpse of His glory.

“As a deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Psalm 42:1,2A).

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Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2021

The Lord’s mercy and grace are there for us all the days of our life. How will we respond?

As we look back on our lives, we can see the hand of the Lord in keeping us safe and guiding us throughout our lives. His mercy and grace are designed to lead us to Him. He wants us to know Him, to walk with Him in this life, and be with Him in eternity.

Even before we come to the Lord, He watches over us and protects us. As has been mentioned, we can see His guiding hand as we look back on our lives. He has been there for us even when we walked out our lives without Him. It is His desire that all come to Him in repentance and faith. It is up to us to acknowledge His goodness and mercy as His love pursues us throughout our lives. He has done all we could ever hope for in sending by His Son to give His life for us on the cross.

The Lord looks down to see if any understand. If any see His great love for us and all that He has provided for those that love Him. He is patient not wanting any to perish, but those that do not accept His gift of salvation will perish. The Bible is very clear on that. There is a Day coming when the Lord will judge all those that have been given physical life from their creator. What did they do with the life given them? Did they acknowledge the One that blessed them with their life and provided for all their needs? The Lord seeks out all those that would acknowledge His loving care and understand what it cost Him to provide salvation for us. His Word says the following regarding this:

“The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.” (Psalm 14:2)

We are told in the Bible that it is a narrow way that leads to life eternal. We are also told that few find this way. Why is that? Few find it because there are not many ways to salvation, but only one, and that way goes by way of the cross and the sacrifice Jesus made there for us all. Jesus tells us the following in the Gospel of Matthew:

“Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it. (Matthew 7:14)

If we are trusting in living a good life (and we should strive to live a good life) to get to Heaven then we are not trusting in the narrow way. If we are trusting in church attendance (and that is important) to gain the Lord’s approval then we are in the broad way. Many compare their lives with others and believe that because they see their life as more moral than their “neighbor”, that will gain them Heaven. This is called relative righteousness and, if relied on for acceptance with God, will not end well for us. The Lord’s standard for us is perfection. Jesus said, “Be ye perfect, even as your Father in Heaven.” There is only one way, and that is to place our faith in Jesus and Him crucified. His righteousness is then imputed to us. When we come by faith the Father sees us “In Christ” – in His perfection. Jesus showed us the way in the following verse:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

Some might say; Why is there only one way? Well, we are undone and unable to save ourselves in our fallen condition. The Lord came and died for our sin so that we might be forgiven and have fellowship with God. The Lord provided this “Way” out of His love for us through His mercy and grace. If you do not know the Lord today, won’t you come to Him in faith along the narrow way? He loves you and He desires that all come to “newness of life” that is only found in Him. As the following scripture tells us, we can know that we have eternal life in Him:

“These things have I written unto you who believe on the name of the Son of God; that you might know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13)

If you don’t know the One who loved you and died for you, you can choose the narrow way today. The Lord stands at the door of our heart, waiting to be invited in. He loves you and wants you to be with Him in eternity.

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears My voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

See The A,B,C’s of Salvation page on this website. Link below.

https://wordpress.com/page/tqministries.com/5448

See The Sinner’s Prayer page on this website. Link below

https://wordpress.com/page/tqministries.com/1752

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Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2021

The Healing Of Naaman

“Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance to Syria: he was also a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper” (2 Kings 5:1).

Naaman was an honorable man, a mighty man of valor, and captain of the hosts of the king of Syria. Although an idol worshipper, the Lord used him to bring deliverance to Syria. He was undoubtedly unaware that the Lord used him in this capacity. The Bible says he was a leper. Leprosy, in the Bible, was a type of unredeemed man and sin because there was no cure for it at the time, just as there no earthly cure for sin.

The Syrians had invaded Israel and brought back captives. Among them was a “little maid” and she was brought into Naaman’s home to serve his wife. The maid spoke to Naaman’s wife of a prophet in Israel (Samaria) who would heal Naaman of his leprosy. She spoke of the prophet Elisha. And what she said came to Naaman’s attention. Naaman told the king of Syria of the maid’s words and the king told Naaman to go and seek out this prophet for his healing. The king provided Naaman with a letter of introduction and explanation to the king of Israel. So, Naaman departed for Israel with a considerable amount of silver, gold, and clothing to purchase his healing from the prophet.

He presented the letter the king of Syria had provided him to the king of Israel. When the king of Israel read the letter, he rent his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man (King of Syria) does send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy.” The king of Israel thought the king of Syria was seeking a quarrel with him.

Elisha sent word to the king of Israel to send Naaman to him that Naaman might know that there was a prophet of God in Israel. So, Naaman came with his entourage and stood in Elisha’s doorway. Elisha did not come out personally and greet him but sent a messenger saying, “Go wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall come again to you, and you shall be clean.

In his pride, Naaman had expected Elisha to receive him personally – to be afforded every courtesy. After all, he was a very powerful man, maybe even the mightiest military commander of that day. He was very angry with the way he was treated by Elisha and said the following: “I thought Elisha would surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.”

Naaman thought that the dirty Jordan couldn’t compare with the beautiful and clear rivers in Syria. If washing in a river would cleanse him of the leprosy, then Syria’s rivers made much more sense to him. So, he turned and went away in great anger.

His servants came to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had bid you do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much rather then, when he said to you, wash, and be clean?” Naaman listened to the words of his servants and went down to the Jordan and dipped himself seven times, just as Elisha had said. When Naaman came up the seventh time his flesh was clean. The account says that his flesh was restored and it was that of a little child.

Naaman returned to Elisha and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the Earth, but in Israel.” He then sought to give Elisha an offering, but Elisha refused. Naaman then said that he wanted to offer a sacrifice to the Lord which he said he would do from that time forward.

Naaman, in this account, represents all of us prior to coming to the Lord. His leprosy in this account is picture of sin or the sin nature sin. He could not heal himself from leprosy and more than we can free ourselves from sin. Naaman thought that he should be afforded some special treatment. This points to man’s pride and the fact that all must come the same way to the Lord. The Jordan in this account is a type of Calvary. Yes, it was muddy and there were other more beautiful rivers, but as a type of what Jesus paid at the cross, there is healing in no other place. It is the cross where Jesus paid the price for our Sin (leprosy), and where we will find healing. Naaman was grateful for his healing and now knew that the Lord was the true God, and sought to give Elisha an offering. Elisha refused.

This whole account points to the Lord’s mercy and grace that we receive freely out of the Lord’s great love for us. The Lord has nothing for sale. Naaman received his healing and came away with a faith in the Lord that he did not have previously. We come, in our leprosy (sin), and the Lord cleanses us and we walk out this life in fellowship with him for the great things he has done for us. Just as Naaman sought to offer a sacrifice to the Lord, and Him only in the future, we place our faith in Christ and Him Crucified for all the days of our lives.

David said it this way in Psalm 116:

“I Love the Lord because He has heard my voice and my supplications (we all come needy), Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live.”

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” …Verily, verily, I (Jesus) say unto you, except a man be born of water (natural birth) and of the Spirit (spiritual birth), he cannot enter the Kingdom of God” (John 3:5).

The Lord, in the above verse, is speaking about the absolute necessity of being born again, or being born spiritually, to enter the Kingdom of God. Our Salvation is the result of coming to the Lord in repentance and accepting the free gift He provides by His death on the Cross. He paid the sin debt owed to God on the Cross. We come empty-handed realizing our total inability to accomplish righteousness by our own efforts. So we are born naturally and subsequently born from above, or born spiritually. We are in essence born twice.

If we have been born again we will go to be with the Lord immediately upon death and forever be with the Lord. So, we are born twice and die once with the natural death.

If one is not born again; at death they will go to Hell. They will await the Great White Throne judgment. This judgment is for all those that do not belong to the Lord. Revelation Chapter 20 has this to say about the Great White Throne Judgement:

“And I saw a Great White Throne (final judgment of the unredeemed), and Him Who sat on it (The Lord Jesus Christ)…. And I saw the dead, small and great stand before God (called the Resurrection of Damnation); and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which was the Book of Life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”

The Bible says that all the unredeemed, those that died lost, will be judged by their works. All they had done in their life will be in the books. The standard for entrance into Heaven by a person’s works is perfection. James, in his epistle says “Whoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” This points to the impossibility of gaining Salvation through obedience to the Law. We would have to keep it perfectly which no man can do. Revelation Chapter 20 goes on to say:

“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and Hell delivered up the dead which were in them (all the unredeemed); and they were judged every man according to his works (a just judgment).”

“And death and Hell were cast into the Lake of Fire (final destination of the unredeemed). This is the second death.”

As we just read, the natural death of the unredeemed is followed by a second death after judgment is rendered by the Lord at the Great White Throne Judgment. This is the second death and it is only for those that have never accepted the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lake of Fire is their final destination. And this is for forever and ever. The Bible goes on to say:

“And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life (the names of all the redeemed are written here) was cast into the Lake of Fire.”

The Bible is clear, we must be born spiritually (second birth) to be saved and enter into the Kingdom of God. Those who do not accept the Lord will appear before the Lord at the Great White Throne Judgment, and they will be cast into the Lake of Fire. The second death is a permanent separation from God.

We are one breath away from eternity at any given moment. Have you been born spiritually, that is, born from above? If not, won’t you come into the safety of the Lord and His Kingdom? Accept the free gift of Eternal Life today and be born from above. It cost the Lord greatly to provide for our Salvation. Today is the day of salvation. There are only two choices we can make in this life regarding our soul. Whosoever chooses the Lord is saved, and whosoever does not is condemned. The books of Acts and Revelation makes this clear:

“Whosoever shall call on the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).

“Whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire” (Revelation 20:15).

The Bible entreats us to seek the Lord while He may be found. The Lord calls out to us in Isaiah Chapter 55: “Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near (without delay- there’s an urgency expressed here).” He may be found today. There is no guarantee for tomorrow. Born once, die twice. Born twice, die once. Won’t you hear the Lord calling out today and come? He loves you and His desire is that all might be saved.

See the Sinner’s Prayer page on this website. Link below.

https://wordpress.com/page/tqministries.com/1752

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Tom Quinn Ministries – TQMinistries.com

Come unto me (He offers forgiveness and salvation), all you who labor and are heavy laden (life without the Lord), and I will give you rest (faith in the Lord is the only place we will find true rest)” (Matthew 11:28).

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An event unlike any other that will bring the church age to a close.

[ I wrote this article several years ago regarding the Rapture of the church which could take place at any time. This event may or may not occur in our lifetime, but one thing is for certain: It will happen!]

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again (at the rapture of the church), and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:3).

(The following is a letter that might be left for loved ones to let them know what had just taken place with the rapture of the church.)

Dear family and friends,

If you are reading this letter then you have discovered that I am missing along with millions of others. Undoubtedly, there is much confusion about the cause of this unprecedented event. I’m sure, along with the confusion, there is uncertainty and some trepidation regarding what took place and what the future may hold. I write this letter to explain to you what just happened and to give you hope for the future.

This event was an act of God and was prophesied some 2000 years ago. The Lord has come for His church (those born again). The Apostle Paul, explains it this way: “For the Lord, Himself (Jesus) shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive shall be caught up (raptured) together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” The church has been anticipating the Rapture (i.e. being caught up to the Lord) since the first century when this promise of the Lord was given through Paul in the First Epistle to the Thessalonians. It is called the “blessed hope” in the Epistle of Paul to Titus. Titus chapter 2 verse 13 encourages all believers with the following words: “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.”

The world will have its own explanation for this happening. Don’t believe anything that the world comes up with to explain it away. The truth is that the Lord has removed all those that are His before the time of the Great Tribulation. Jesus said this of the time following the removal of the church: “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not in the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” No one knows how soon after the Rapture it will begin, but when it does begin, it will be the worst time the world has ever gone through. It will be a time of great destruction, and it will result in death for many that are alive at the time. It is what the Bible calls the end time and it will be a final seven-year period that will culminate with the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus.

The Bible contains prophecies that warn about, and explain, what will happen in the end time. The books of Daniel chapters 7-12, Matthew Chapter 24, and Revelation are a partial list of books containing end-time prophecies and will give some details on what lies ahead. Some very dark days are coming upon the world, but the Lord will be calling out, through His Word, to whosoever will come to Him and be saved. I write the following in love: I strongly entreat you to read your Bible. Your future eternal wellbeing depends upon it.

Through the Bible, we learn of the words of life given to us by the Lord. John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” We are sinners and have a fallen nature. We cannot save ourselves. The Lord died for our sins on the Cross and offers us eternal life as we come to Him in repentance and faith. His death on the cross paid our sin debt owed to God. Romans 10:9,10 says: “That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus (that He is Lord & Savior), and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead (the Resurrection), you shall be saved. For with the heart, man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.” The following is the Sinner’s Prayer, which has been prayed by millions down through the years. If you pray this prayer and believe it; you have passed from death to life and have been “born again”.

Sinner’s Prayer – Dear God in Heaven, I come to You in the Name of Jesus. I’m sorry for my sins. The way I’ve lived, the things I’ve done. Please forgive me. Cleanse me with the precious Blood of Jesus from all unrighteousness. With my mouth, I confess Jesus Christ. In my heart, I believe You raised Jesus from the dead and He is alive. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as the savior of my soul, and I make Him the Lord of my life. And according to Your Word which cannot lie, I am washed: I am cleansed, I am forgiven. I am saved. Amen.

I pray that you will heed the Lord’s warnings regarding the future and the tribulation that is about to come upon those in the world. He loves you and it’s not the Lord’s will that any should perish, but that all would come to Him in faith and receive the salvation for which He paid such a great price. We are promised no more than today. Today is the day of salvation. It is my hope that you prayed the above prayer. If you did pray and believed, according to God’s Word, you have been born from above. I look forward to meeting you on the other side – in His glorious presence.

In the love of Christ,

His servant and your kinsman & friend

“I give them (all those who come in repentance and faith) eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28).

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Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com

Composed by Horatio G. Spafford

The following is the incredible true story behind the writing of this song.

Horatio G. Spafford (1828-1888) a devout Christian, was a wealthy lawyer and businessman in Chicago with a wife, four daughters and a son. Their young son died with pneumonia in 1871. This was the same year of the Great Chicago Fire, and as a result of the fire, having invested heavily in real estate along Lake Michigan, much of Spafford’s fortune was lost overnight.

Spafford planned a European trip for his family in 1873. Due to a last-minute unexpected business problem, he was not able to accompany them but planned to join them in Europe in a few days. On November 21, 1873, Spafford saw his wife and four daughters off on the ocean liner Ville du Harve.

After four days at sea, the Ville du Harve collided with another ship. Within minutes the ship, with 226 passengers, sunk beneath the Atlantic. A sailor, rowing a small boat around the area where the ship sunk, spotted Spafford’s wife Anna clinging to a piece of wreckage. She was pulled to safety and all the survivors were picked up by another vessel passing by and arrived in several days at Cardiff, Wales.

Upon arrival in Wales, Anna telegraphed her husband with the words “Saved alone…”. All four of their daughters had been lost at sea in this terrible tragedy. Stafford arranged to leave immediately by ship to join his wife. He and his wife had lost all of their children along with the fortune he had acquired in business.

Four days into the journey as the ship approached the area thought to be where the Ville du Harve sank, the captain called Spafford to his cabin and let him know that they were approaching the very area where the ship carrying his family went down. It is said that Spafford, in the midst of this incredible loss, penned the following while on this ship on his way to be reunited with his grieving wife:

When peace like a river, attendeth my way. When sorrows like sea billows roll. Whatever my lot, though has taught me to say it is well, it is well with my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin, not in part but in whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul.

It is well (it is well) with my soul (with my soul). It is well, it is well with my soul.

Partial lyrics from “It is well with my soul.”

The Lord blessed Spafford in business once again and he and Anna had three more children, one of which died of pneumonia. In August of 1881, the Spaffords moved to Jerusalem. Upon his death in 1888, Horatio G. Spafford was buried in that city. The city that the Lord calls His own.

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Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2/2021

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (Day of the Lord) shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin (the Antichrist) be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing Himself that he is God.” (2 Thessalonians. 2:3,4)

The title of this article comes from a well-known line in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Three witches predict that Macbeth, a Scottish general, will receive a title of Scottish nobility from the king and become king himself one day. When the king makes Macbeth the thane of Cawdor, Macbeth, now believing the prediction given him by the witch, and with encouragement from Lady Macbeth, kills King Duncan and becomes the king of Scotland. This begins Macbeth’s descent into evil. The words in our title were spoken by one of the witches, regarding Macbeth, as he approached them to find out more about their prophecies regarding him.

The above verse speaks of a day when evil will be personified like never before in a man the Bible calls, among other names, the Antichrist. He is referred to as “the beast” in the thirteenth chapter of Revelation and “the man of sin in the above verse.” He will rise out of obscurity promising peace to the world and he will be accepted by most in the world of that time. Many believe he will be of Jewish descent because he will make a seven-year peace agreement with Israel and Israel will accept him as their messiah.

This man will head a ten-nation confederacy and initially come to power professing peace. This will quickly change and he will set about to conquer. He will be empowered by Satan and perform great wonders. The world will stand in awe of this man. He will demand to be worshipped and will speak against the Lord.

“And he (the Antichrist) opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His Name.” (Revelation 13:6)

The signing of the agreement between the Antichrist and Israel is the beginning of the last seven years before Christ’s return. This period is referred to in the Bible as “The Great Tribulation.” It will initially bring a long sought after peace to Israel, but it will only be a temporary peace.

The Antichrist will be helped by the false prophet who the Bible says “had two horns like a lamb, but spoke as a dragon. He also will be empowered by Satan and will “cause the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast (Antichrist).” The false prophet will require all to receive a mark in the forehead or hand, without which no one could buy or sell. The mark will be “the name of the beast (Antichrist), or the number of his name.” The Bible says that the mark is “the number of a man; and his number is six hundred, threescore and six (666).” Those that agree to receive the mark will “drink of the wrath of God.” In other words, they will be eternally lost. Believers in the Lord will refuse the mark and will face death.

At the midpoint of the seven-year tribulation, the Antichrist will turn on Israel, breaking the peace agreement, and come against it militarily to destroy the nation and kill all the jews. Satan is behind this final effort to destroy God’s people, for the Lord has made promises to Israel. His Word says all Israel will be saved in the end. Satan knows that if God’s Word is not fulfilled regarding the Jewish people then He wins. This will not happen. All of the Lord’s Word will be fulfilled. The Second Coming of the Lord will defeat Satan, all Israel will be saved, and the thousand-year reign of Christ will be ushered in.

“The blindness in part is happened to Israel (rejecting Christ initially) until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in (the church age ending with the rapture). And so all Israel will be saved (at the end of the tribulation with the Second Coming ).” Romans 11:26

As Christians, the Bible says we are “not appointed to wrath” and that the Lord is coming for us before the Great Tribulation. These last seven years before the Lord’s return will be the worst time this world has ever seen. The judgment of God will bring famine, pestilence, earthquakes, war, and much more in the way of destruction and death to an unrepentant world. The Lord loves us and wants all to be saved from His end-time judgment. His mercy and grace have provided us with a Way whereby we will be saved from all that will come upon the earth. The Lord of glory came to earth and died on the cross for our sins. We must repent and believe in His sacrifice at Calvary to be saved. If you have not come to the Lord in repentance and faith; won’t you come to Him today. The Lord has given us signs of the approaching tribulation and they are all around us today. Something wicked this way comes and we can escape it by faith in the Lord who loves us.

The Rapture of the church is an evacuation of all believers from the earth before the wrath of God comes upon this world as the following verse states:

“For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1Thessalonians 4:16-18)

See The A, B,C’s of Salvation page on this website. Link below.

https://wordpress.com/page/tqministries.com/5448

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Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com