As One Crying in the Wilderness

A Fictional Narrative

“He (John the Baptist) said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare you the Way of the Lord, make His paths straight” (Luke 3:4).

Ben had recently returned to the state he had grown up in. He was glad to be back. It was familiar ground for him and he was thankful the Lord brought him back to his place of birth. Many of those living in the area he had just returned from were serving the Lord. Ben considered the time he spent there a blessed time and was so thankful for it. But he was excited to return to his home state because he missed it and he knew there was a great need for the Gospel there.

His home state was unlike the place he had just come from. It was a very conservative and liberal area. People were reluctant to discuss spiritual matters. Some attended churches in the area, but many did not seek the ways of God. Ben found it hard to share the Gospel to those in this area. He prayed for a move of God and he prayed that the Holy Spirit would move throughout the state in a mighty way convicting and drawing souls to a saving knowledge of the Lord.

Ben felt he was a debtor to all those who did not know the Lord. The Lord had graciously saved him and opened up the Gospel to his family. Ben saw this as an incredible miracle as his family had been steeped in religion for generations. Upon hearing the true Gospel, some of his family had accepted the Lord and were serving Him. Others had passed on after coming to a saving knowledge of the Lord and were now with Him. The Gospel had come to his family for the first time and Ben was so grateful. Ben knew it was up to those in his family who did not initially come to the Lord after hearing the Gospel to realize the love that the Lord has for them and come to Him.

Ben had been wonderfully Baptized with the Holy Spirit and the Lord also had shown Ben the way to victory in his Christian life. Ben now knew that the key to a victorious Christian life was to make Christ and Him Crucified the object of his faith daily which allowed the Holy Spirit to work mightily in his life. Yes, Ben felt He was a debtor to all those who did not know the Lord, and also to those who knew the Lord but did not know how to gain the victory in their daily Christian walk. He felt so blessed and wanted all those he came across to know the joy he felt and the wonderful Salvation the Lord offered to all. Ben also realized that the hour was late and that prophetically we were nearing the end times spoken of in the Bible when judgment would come on this world.

Ben so admired John the Baptist who the Lord had sent to Israel. The Lord spoke to Israel through John to call all Israel back to Him and His Word through repentance. He was sent to proclaim the Lord’s arrival in announcing to all “Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world.” When John was asked who he was he quoted the Book of Isaiah replying that he was “the voice of one crying in the wilderness.”

Ben knew that sharing the Gospel was the most important thing he could do especially considering the lateness of the hour. He walked out his daily life telling all those who would listen of their need for Salvation by faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrificial death on the Cross that paid the sin debt owed to God. He felt a certain affinity with John the Baptist realizing that just as John called Israel back to God, we cry out to a lost and dying world with the hope that they will come to the Lord. The world is a wilderness in need of Salvation. Ben saw the great need and sought to walk in the love that the Lord had for all those who are so in need of His Salvation.

“And He (Jesus) said unto them, Go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature (The Great Commission)” (Mark 16:15).

Today, Ben is working along with all believers to help fulfill the “Great Commission.” He knows that the Gospel is the only hope for mankind. Satan, the “god of this world” is doing all he can to blind people to this wonderful Gospel. But Ben knows of the Lord’s great love and remembers how his family was lost and on their way to Hell before the Lord reached down in His mercy and opened the Gospel to them. He prays for all those who do not know the Lord.

Ben realizes just how much the Lord has blessed him and his family and wants to share all the Lord has given him with whosoever will receive it. The questions Ben might ask of those he shares the Gospel with are: Can you hear the voice of the Lord as He reaches out to you in His mercy and grace through His Gospel? Have you felt the tug of the Holy Spirit as He searches out whomsoever will hear and place their faith in Christ and His great finished work at Calvary? And most importantly; Has the Gospel found a place in your heart?

The Way of Salvation

We are to admit we are sinners unable to save ourselves: “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23), and “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10).

We are to acknowledge that Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross: ” He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes, we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

We are to place our faith in Him (Jesus) and His great sacrificial work on the cross: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him From the dead, you shall be saved”(Romans 10:9).

God’s Love For Us

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have Everlasting Life” (John 3:16).

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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Here I Am Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2023

A False Hope That Millions Living Today Believe

“There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

Many today believe that how they live their lives will determine where they go for eternity. This is true, but not in the way most believe. We are born with a fallen nature and incapable of pleasing God by what we do. The Lord wants us to live good lives, but we are unable to do this in ourselves because in our fallen nature we cannot live a righteous life. It is impossible!

Cain and Abel are our first examples in the Bible of the two roads that people choose to please and be accepted by God. Cain offered up the “fruit of the ground,” his labor, to the Lord, and the Lord rejected it. The Lord loved Cain as he did Abel and encouraged him to offer up the right sacrifice. But Cain refused and, therefore, as the sacrifice he offered was rejected, so was Cain. Cain’s approach is the approach of all those in the world today who believe that living a good life is enough. They believe that God will accept them because they have walked out this life trying their best to do the right thing. This seems so right in our fallen human nature, and the Lord does want us to live good lives before Him. But this will not make us acceptable to God, nor will it result in us going to Heaven.

Cain is in Hell today if he did not change his way of approaching God and come God’s way. Well, some might say, he killed his brother so that his fate was sealed. There is no sin the Lord will not forgive if we come His way. There is no evidence in the Bible that Cain came to the Lord, but we all have until we breathe our last breath to make things right with the Lord.

Abel brought from “the firstlings of his flock.” In so doing, Abel realized that he was in need of a redeemer and that a blood sacrifice of an innocent lamb was required by the Lord. This was a type pointing ahead to Christ Who would pay the sin debt owed in His sacrificial death on the Cross. The Lord had shown his parents, Adam and Eve, their need for a redeemer by providing “coats of skin” to cover their nakedness after they sinned against the Lord in the Garden and attempted to cover their nakedness with “fig leaves.” By this, the Lord was showing them that without the shedding of blood, which spoke of the animals sacrificed to provide a covering for their nakedness, there could be no forgiveness of sin. This represented a type of Christ Who would provide the ultimate covering for sin that is the only covering the Lord will accept. Adam and Eve, and all those who have come after them, were shown by this that the Lord must provide the covering or payment for sin, not man.

We can read this account of these two men in the first book of the Bible and know that their story is there as an example for us today. As has been mentioned, these two men and their individual approach to the Lord represent the two ways that mankind has sought to approach God down through the ages. I believe the Lord gave us this account in Scripture that all would see what He required in order to have fellowship with Him.

The Gospel is very simple. A child can understand it. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on the Cross of Calvary to pay the sin debt owed to God. We must come to the Lord in repentance and faith believing that by Christ’s sacrificial death on the Cross, our sins are forgiven and that we are now accepted by the Lord and have become children of God. Those that do not come this way will go the way of Cain. Pride is what holds many from coming to the Lord because we must admit we are sinners in need of a Savior.

So, we cannot live a life pleasing to God through our own strength and ability. The “fig leaves” we try to cover ourselves with by trying to live good lives outside of God will reap the same results as that of Cain’s sacrifice. We must come to the Cross seeking forgiveness and believing that the covering for our sins is accomplished and accepted by God at Calvary. For those who go the way of the Lord, there are untold blessings. We’ll close with a verse from the Bible in which the Lord makes His way very clear for all to see:

“For by Grace (unmerited favor) are you saved by faith (in the “covering” for our sin He provides which is Christ and Him Crucified); and that not of yourselves (salvation is completely of the Lord): it is the gift of God (paid for by His Son’s sacrificial death on the Cross). Not of works (we cannot earn it by what we do), lest any man should boast ( in our own abilities)” (Ephesians 2:8,9).

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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That “The Mystery of God Should Be Finished.”

“And there was war in Heaven: Michael and his Angels fought against the dragon (Satan); and the dragon fought and his Angels” (Revelation 12:7).

This “war” happens at the midpoint of the Great Tribulation. Satan and all the Angels that threw in their lot with him will now be cast out of Heaven. This has to do with the “Mystery of God” that will now be brought to completion (Revelation 10:7). The mystery is; Why has the Lord allowed Satan and his followers to be in Heaven all this time? There are many thoughts on this but the Lord has not revealed His reason for this to us. This is why it’s called a “Mystery.” The result of this war is that Satan and his angels will no longer be allowed in Heaven.

“And (they) prevailed not: neither was their place found any more in Heaven” (Revelation 12:8)

Satan was defeated by Michael and the Angels of the Lord and cast out of Heaven. It’s interesting to note that this war was not started by Satan. It was brought on by the Command of the Lord. Some have questioned whether Satan has actually had access to Heaven all this time, but a reading of the first chapter of the Book of Job dispels all doubt. Satan has had access to Heaven in the past and gone before the Lord to accuse the brethren as evidenced by his accusations against Job.

“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the Earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:9).

Satan is referred to here as “that old serpent” because he used a serpent to deceive Adam and Eve in the Garden and since that time has worked to deceive the whole world. Jesus warned His Disciples to be on guard against deception just prior to His Crucifixion. Satan has come to “steal, kill, and destroy” and our only defenses against the Devil and his ways are knowing the Word of God and placing our faith in Christ and His sacrificial death at Calvary. Satan now being cast out of Heaven is the beginning of his end, as we shall see.

“Therefore rejoice, you Heaven, and you who dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the Earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows his time is short” (Revelation 12:12).

Those in Heaven now rejoice because they have seen the last of the adversary. Satan has no more access to Heaven. However, this verse proclaims a “Woe” to those on Earth at this time because Satan has great anger at being cast out of Heaven and knows that he has a short time. Satan, through the Antichrist, the False Prophet, and all his minions now wreaks havoc on the Earth. He does not succeed, of course. The Lord, Who has cast Him out of Heaven, will now cast him off the earth.

“And an Angel came down from Heaven, having the keys to the bottomless pit and great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that, he must be loosed a little season” (Revelation 20:1-3).

At this time, Satan and his Antichrist have been defeated at Armageddon with the Glorious Second Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ which will be the greatest happening in human history since the Cross. Satan and his minions will be literally bound for a thousand years. Notice there is a rehearsal of his various names that portray him using great cunning as our adversary and our accuser. Many have fallen to his devious ways and have ended up in Hell. As we will see, he will be released for one last time of deception and rebellion against the Lord to attempt to deceive all those on Earth at that time. This will occur at the end of the thousand-year Millennium Reign of Christ on the Earth.

“And when the thousand years have expired (finished), Satan shall be loosed out of his prison and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the Earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea” (Revelation 20:7,8).

All those on Earth at that time who did not accept Christ during the Kingdom Age will join Satan’s final rebellion against God. Incredibly, it says that the numbers that follow Satan are “as sands of the sea.” They are deceived by him and follow him to their eternal doom.

“And they went up on the breadth of the Earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of Heaven, and devoured them” (Revelation 20:9).

We are not told much about this final rebellion except that Satan and his army came against Jerusalem and the Lord puts it down quickly. This is the final attack against this great city – the city of God.

“And the Devil who deceived them was cast into the Lake of Fire and brimstone, where the Beast and False Prophet are, and will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).

This is the end of Satan and his influence over God’s creation. He will never again rebel against the Lord, or be allowed to deceive, or to “steal, kill, and destroy.” His end will be eternal suffering and torment in the lake of fire. But what of those who followed him and rebelled against the Lord’s ways? I’m talking about all those who have lived from the time of the Garden until now. What is their end?

“And I saw a Great White Throne, and Him Who sat on it…. and I saw the dead small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life: and the dead were judged according to their works…and death and Hell were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death….and whoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake Fire” (Revelation 20:11,12).

Those appearing before the Great White Throne Judgment are all the unredeemed. The Lord will open the books and they will be judged by their works. Our works will not gain us Heaven. It is only by faith in Christ and Him Crucified that our names are written in the Book of Life. This is a judicial proceeding and will result in all those standing before God hoping to justify themselves by works being cast into the Lake of Fire. What a horrible end for those who did not come by the way of faith.

And what will become of all the redeemed? All of us who have loved God served Him and accepted the gift of Eternal Life through the Lord’s sacrificial death on the Cross. What will happen to us? Well, we have a glorious future to look forward to. In closing, let’s take a look at what God’s Word has to say about this:

“And I saw a New Heaven and a new Earth: for the first Heaven and the first Earth were passed way (pass from one condition to another), and there was no more sea. And I John (the Apostle John) saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem, come down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a great Voice out of Heaven saying, Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:1-4 & ESB notes).

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

Find podcasts of this article, and all the articles on this website on the “Here I Am Lord” podcast on Spotify, Spotify for Podcasters, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic.

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Who Will Heed the Warning!

“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great on the Earth….And the Lord said I will destroy man, whom I created from the face of the Earth… But Noah found Grace in the sight of the Lord…..and Noah walked with God. The Earth also was corrupt before God, and the Earth was filled with violence. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the Earth is filled with violence through them; and behold I will destroy them with the Earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood….. And, behold I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the Earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein us the breath of life, from under Heaven; and everything that is in the Earth shall die. But with you (Noah) will I will establish My covenant; and you shall come into the ark, you, and your sons, and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you” (Genesis 6:5a,7a,8,10b,11,13,14a,17,18).

The world, in general, goes about their daily lives void of any understanding as to the importance of the Gospel. Noah was obedient to the Lord in building an ark that was a warning to all those alive in that day of a coming worldwide flood. In like manner, we, as the Lord’s people, bring word of a coming judgment that will befall the whole world in these last days.

All those that watched Noah build the ark had the opportunity to be saved. As we go out into this world today with the words of life, all those that will hear of God’s love for them and come His way will be saved as well.

It took Noah many years to finish the ark. The people living at that time had that amount of time to hear Noah’s preaching regarding the coming judgment and their need to repent. The Lord died for our sins almost two thousand years ago and offers us a place of refuge. Just as the Lord warned those in the time of Noah, our world has had almost two thousand years since the Lord’s first advent to hear the Gospel and repent of their ways.

Just as the people of Noah’s time did not know when the flood would come, we do not know how much longer the Lord will hold back the judgment that is certain to come on our world. The ark was a type of Christ for those living in the time of Noah. And just as those living then gave no heed to what was about to take place and only his family entered the ark of safety; I’m afraid that most of the world today is paying little attention to the signs of the times.

There came a day when it was too late for those in Noah’s time. There will soon come a time when the judgment of God will come on this rebellious world. If we are in the ark, that is, in Christ, we will not suffer judgment. Jesus paid the price at the Cross for our sins and we are safe “in Him.”

Jesus spoke of the way to the life He offers as a narrow way and that few find it. He gave the following warning which really describes exactly what happened to the people living in the time of Noah that did not heed Noah’s warning:

“Enter you in by the straight gate (that gate is Christ): for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction and many there be that go in thereat: because straight is the gate, and narrow the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13,14).

There is a wide path that leads to destruction. Those living in Noah’s time found that out. With the exception of Noah’s family, all perished. The narrow way, faith in Christ and Him Crucified, is being offered to all today, Everyone has an opportunity to accept it and be among the few. We simply need to call upon the Lord and He will save us as the following Psalm tells us:

“As for me, I shall call upon God, and the Lord will save me” (Psalm 55:16).

The Heavenly Father saw our great need in that we could not save ourselves. He sent His Son to die a sacrificial death on the Cross to pay the sin debt and offers us forgiveness, and “Newness of Life” in Him. He is our ark of safety. He said, “Come unto Me and I will give you rest.” Today can be the day of Salvation. All must heed His warning and come into the ark He has provided to be saved. His love for us brought Him here from His home in Glory. His love for us was on full display at Calvary. He has done it all and calls us to believe in Him.

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

Noah built the ark and saved his family from sure destruction. The Gospel is being preached throughout the world for the very same reason today. The question is: Who will heed the warning? If you do not know the Lord, harken to the voice of the Lord today and reach up for Him. You and your family will be safe in the arms of our loving Savior and Lord.

We will close with a beautiful verse from Isaiah. It is usually spoken of regarding those that preach the Gospel and can be referenced that way in a secondary sense, but it really refers to the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ.

“How beautiful upon the Mountain are the feet of Him Who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims Salvation, Who says to Zion, Your God Reigns!” (Isaiah 52:7)

The following prayer has been prayed by millions down through the years. If you do not know the Lord and His great love for you, I strongly encourage you to hear the Lord as He calls you into the ark of safety and pray the following:

The 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 your Precious Blood from all unrighteousness. With my mouth, I confess Jesus Christ. In my heart, I believe God 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. According to your Word which cannot lie: I am washed, I am forgiven. I am saved. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer and believed what you prayed, according to God’s Word, you have passed from death to life. You have been born again (born from above)! Praise the Lord.

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

Find podcasts of this article, and all the articles on this website on the “Here I Am Lord” podcast on Spotify, Spotify for Podcasters, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic.

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Here I am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries -tqministries.com 2023

Your Answer Will Determine Where You Spend Eternity!

Previously published 2021

When you ask someone if they think they will go to Heaven; you get a variety of answers to that question. They rarely answer that they don’t think they’ll go. But you might hear answers like, I hope so, I think so, or I’m not sure, or I’m working on it. According to the Bible, we can know that we are going to Heaven. Sadly, all the above answers are incorrect and those that give them are currently not on their way to Heaven.

Boy, that sounds kind of harsh. Maybe even a little judgmental. Well, the Lord has given us a way where we can know that we are going to Heaven, and any answer that is not in the affirmative to that question means that those that do answer that way do not know the way the Lord has provided.

There are also those that if asked if they think they are going to Heaven will answer in the affirmative but have made up their own criteria for entrance to Heaven. When pressed on why they think they would go, you will get a variety of answers to this question as well. Although the following list is not all-inclusive, you might get one of the following responses. They might say that they have lived a good life, or that they pray, or that they attend church, or that they have given to the poor, or that they have taken good care of their family. The list goes on and although these things are admirable, and things we should all strive for; those that answer this way are not ready to meet the Lord.

If we were to stand before the Lord and extol our virtues as the reason He should accept us into Heaven; His one question to us might be: “Yes, but what did you do with My Son. I sent Him to die for you on a cruel Cross. Your faith should be exclusively in My Son’s great work on the Cross. He, and He alone, paid the price.”

We know that life can be fleeting. We are guaranteed no more than today. In light of this one question that the Lord will ask of us all; shouldn’t we make sure that we have placed our faith in the One that died for us. The One Who paid the price so that we could be with Him forever.

When we pass from this life if our faith is in Jesus and His great work at the Cross, then the Lord’s Word says, “Absence from the body means present with the Lord.” When the Lord asks us, “What did you do with My Son?“, we can answer Him by saying that we have repented of our sinful ways and our trust in our virtues and ways, and made His Son, Jesus, our Lord, and Savior. His sacrificial death on the Cross paid the sin debt owed to God and opened up the way to Heaven for all those who will come the Lord’s way.

There is only one question remaining. It’s the very question the Lord will ask each of us on that day; Have we accepted the gift of Eternal Life that cost the Lord so much to provide. We can be sure that the Lord will seek to know the answer to that question when we pass from this life. Our answer to it will determine where we spend eternity! Of that, we can be sure!

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

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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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2021

A Call to the Fountain of Living Water

“For My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me the Fountain of Living Water and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13).

The Prophet Jeremiah, known as the “weeping prophet,” brought this Word from the Lord to Judah. They had forsaken the Lord, and without repentance would be overtaken and defeated by the Babylonian Empire. They could have avoided the coming destruction by heeding the Lord’s warnings and repenting of their ways, but they didn’t and suffered defeat and exile from their nation by Babylon. This sad end for the chosen people of God came approximately forty years from the time Jeremiah began his prophetic ministry.

At the time of Jeremiah’s ministry, Judah had forsaken the Lord for other gods. They never completely stopped worshiping the Lord, but incorporated other gods into their worship. They also added manmade laws to God’s Law. Cisterns are meant to hold water and the reference to broken cisterns by Jeremiah represents what happens when God’s way is not strictly adhered to.

The Lord has given us His Word so that we would know His way. He has shown us that way – the way that will lead us to the blessings the Lord wants for us and to Eternal Life with Him. We are not to add to or take away from anything in the Word of God. That is exactly what Judah did and it did not end well for them. This word of rebuke from the Lord to Judah should cause us to examine ourselves to see if we are walking in accordance with God’s ways. The Apostle Paul admonished the Corinthians regarding this very thing.

“Examine yourselves whether you be in the faith, prove your own selves” (2 Corinthians 13:5).

We are “in the faith” by placing our faith in Christ and Him Crucified and keeping it there. Paul is stressing the importance of this by encouraging them to “prove your own selves,” to make sure their faith was in the proper object, that is, Christ and Him Crucified. He paid the price for our sin at Calvary and He is the only way to God. Our faith in Him and His sacrificial death must be for both salvation and our daily walk (sanctification). We are not saved by Grace and perfected by our own efforts. The Apostle Paul outlines what happens to us spiritually when we come to Christ. He said:

“Know you not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ (not referring to water baptism) were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the Glory of the Father, even so we should walk in Newness of Life” (Romans 6:3,4).

Paul is telling us that, spiritually, we died with Christ; that He became our substitute, and our placing our faith in Christ and His sacrificial death at Calvary gives us forgiveness of sins and “Newness of Life.” In other words, spiritually, we died with Him, we were buried with Him, and His Resurrection brought us “Newness of Life” by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus spoke of this Newness of Life in the Gospel of John. He had traveled through Samaria and stopped at Jacob’s well which was located in Sychar. He was thirsty and asked a woman to give Him a drink. The woman questioned him about His request because Jews typically had no dealings with Samaritans. He answered her and said:

“If you knew the gift of God, and Who it is that says to you, Give me to drink; you would have asked of Him, and He would have given you Living Water” (John 4:10).

The woman had lived a life of sin before this day, but by finding Jesus she found the Living Water He promises to all those that come to Him. He said that this “Living Water” when received would “be a well of water springing up into Eternal Life.” Jesus is the “gift of God.” He said the following regarding Himself to His disciples just prior to His sacrificial death:

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

Jesus is the Living Way that the Lord has provided. There is no other! If our faith remains in Christ and Him Crucified, we will have this “Living Water” through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit that will give us the victory that we seek as we walk out our Christian lives. If we abide in Him, we will walk in the “Newness of Life” afforded to us by our identification with Christ in His death, burial, and Resurrection.

“I (Jesus) am the Vine, you are the branches: he who abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com

Only One of These Leads to God

“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skin, and did clothe them” (Genesis 3:21).

Adam and Eve had sinned against the Lord. In so doing, they realized they were naked and clothed themselves with fig leaves. When they heard the Voice of the Lord walking in the Garden, they hid. They eagerly welcomed the Lord in the past, but now due to their guilt in sinning against the Lord, they hid from His Presence. The Lord, in covering them with animal skins, was showing them that the “fig leaves” were insufficient, and without the shedding of innocent blood, which was a type of Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary, there would be no remission of sins. The animal skins covered their sin, but the payment of the sin debt for all sin awaited Calvary. And finally, with the Lord covering them Himself; He was showing them that Salvation was completely of the Lord.

“And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground…Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord…And Abel, also brought of the firstlings of his flock and the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering He had no respect” (Genesis 4:2-5).

Abel understood and obeyed all that the Lord had shown our first parents. He offered up a lamb as sacrifice and it was accepted by the Lord. Cain, however, offered up the fruit of his labor and the Lord rejected it. The Lord Jesus came as the “Lamb of God “ and offered up His life to pay the sin debt owed to God. Salvation comes only through faith in Christ and His sacrificial death at Calvary. Salvation is all of the Lord. Our part is to come by faith in the Salvation The Lord has provided.

Religion, which is practiced by many today, is man’s efforts to please God by what he does. Cain shows us an example of that by his offering up to God the fruit of his labor. Cain and Abel represent the two ways that men have approached God from that time to this. It is either by faith (relationship) or by works (religion). The Lord paid a high price for our Salvation and it is an insult of the highest order to think that we could add anything to what He accomplished for us on the Cross.

So, we see that from the very beginning, the Lord was showing Adam and Eve, and all those who would come after them, what He required and how He would bring mankind back to right relationship with Him. We are saved by faith in His Finished Work and we are to walk out our lives by faith in His Finished Work. It is not faith plus works. It is completely by faith in God’s Provision. We can add absolutely nothing to the Lord’s perfect plan?

We are called to do good works, and certainly, the Christian disciples (e.g. Bible reading, praying, church attendance, fasting, etc) are important, but our faith must not be in these as we walk out our life. The Apostle Paul said it best, in the following verse, when he rebuked the Galatians for starting by faith and attempting to live by the works of the flesh:

“Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit are you now made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3).

As mentioned, the Galatians were saved by faith but were now tempted to live their lives by the flesh. This would not work for them and will not work for us. The object of our faith daily must be Christ and Him Crucified which will allow the Holy Spirit to work mightily in our lives (Romans 8:2). As we saw with Adam and Eve, the Lord clothed them Himself, and did it with “coats of skin.” We are clothed with the Lord Jesus Christ and we are to remember that Salvation is all of the Lord as we walk out this life by faith in His Provision.

“For therein (Christ Crucified) is the Righteousness of God revealed (Salvation is all of God) from faith to faith.: as it is written, The just shall live (daily) by faith (in Christ and Him Crucified)” (Romans 1:17 commentary mine).

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

Find podcasts of this article, and all the articles on this website on the “Here I Am Lord” podcast on Spotify for Podcasters, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic. Also, Here I Am, Lord is on Telegram.

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Here I Am Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2023

An Open Invitation

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

The Lord is knocking at the door of the hearts of all those that do not know Him, seeking to come in. He loves all those in the world today and it is not His desire that any should perish. Our responsibility is to hear Him knocking and open the door of our hearts wide to allow the One Who loves us entrance.

“For the Son of Man is come to seek and save that which was lost” (Luke 18:10).

We are in perilous times in our world today with many not seeking the Lord and lawlessness and behavior on the part of many that is diametrically opposed to the ways of the Lord. It has been nearly two thousand years since the Lord came the first time and the Bible tells us that what we see happening in the world today is a sign that we are approaching the end when the Lord will bring judgment on an evil and rebellious world. We are in the last hour. The Gospel must go out and reach all those that will heed its message of hope. The Lord is knocking! It is imperative that this Gospel be heard by all.

The Lord offers all those who come to Him in repentance and faith, forgiveness and “Newness of life” in Him. It’s amazing that the Lord of Glory seeks us out so that we might have a relationship with Him. He has done it all. All He asks of us is that we come by faith believing in Him and His atoning death at Calvary.

We must stop for a moment in our busy lives and look to the One that loves us and proved that love on the Cross of Calvary. We must listen with our hearts to His call. He calls us to Himself to save us from our fallen nature and give us the gift of eternal life with Him.

The two thousand years since His first coming has been a time of Grace that has resulted in the salvation of millions, and millions, of people who have heard and answered His call. The call to those that have not come to Him becomes more and more urgent as the time of the end approaches. Judgment will come to all those that do not answer His call. We can know that we have passed from death to life right at this moment by opening our hearts to Him. It’s an open invitation to the greatest life we could ever know. Who’s that knocking at your door? It’s the Lord of Glory!!

“As for me, I will shall call upon God, and the Lord will save me” (Psalm 55:16).

The following prayer has been prayed by millions down through the years. If you do not know the Lord and His great love for you, I strongly encourage you to hear the Lord as He knocks at the door of your heart and answer His call by praying the following:

The 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 your Precious Blood from all unrighteousness. With my mouth, I confess Jesus Christ. In my heart, I believe God 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. According to your Word which cannot lie: I am washed, I am forgiven. I am saved. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer and believed what you prayed, according to God’s Word, you have passed from death to life. You have been born again (born from above)! Praise the Lord.

“That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”

“For with the heart man believes unto Righteousness: and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9,10).

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

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Here I am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries -tqministries.com 2023

The Soon Coming Rapture of the Church

“Looking for that Blessed Hope, and the glorious appearing of the Great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).

Our introductory verse is referring to the Rapture of the Church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). The Lord will come for His church prior to the judgment that is coming on this world. The Bible clearly tells us that the Lord will judge this world for rejecting the Salvation He freely offers to all those that come in repentance and faith. Many of the signs that the Bible says will occur prior to His return are beginning to manifest. The Lord of Glory came to Earth as a Man, the God/Man, two thousand years ago, to offer mercy and His Grace to a fallen and sinful world. The following verse is a reference to that incredible event:

“For the Grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” (Titus 2:11).

The Lord came the first time as our Savior offering His life for us on the Cross to pay the sin debt owed to God. He comes in His Second Advent as a judge. During the church age, His mercy and abundant Grace has been available to all those that call upon His Name. The Lord has promised to come for those who love Him and are anxiously awaiting His return for His church. The Lord has prepared a place for us in Heaven and will return for us so that we might be with Him forever. The following words spoken by the Lord prior to His crucifixion give us a sure hope:

“In My Father’s House are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2,3)

The world has had ample warning. Most of those alive today are not looking for His return. Our world is currently in turmoil. I believe that what we are seeing today as regards lawlessness and the total disregard for the Lord’s ways are signs of His imminent return. The Lord always gives a warning prior to bringing judgment. He has done that in the past with Israel as a nation, and I believe He is doing that at this present time. I believe that He is allowing Satan certain latitude due to the fact that the world as a whole has rejected Him. This is evidenced by all the aberrant behavior that is being practiced today. We are in a time of warning from the Lord – a call to repentance.

Our own nation of America is currently casting the Lord aside and allowing for the practice of very ungodly ways. Romans chapter 1 shows us the downward spiral of any people, or nation, that turns away from following the Lord. The Lord gives them over to the evil they have chosen to allow. He gives them over to a “reprobate mind” to do ungodly things because they have chosen to exclude the Lord and His ways.

The Lord is coming. We can be absolutely sure of this. The question for all those in the world today is; Will we take part in the Rapture of the church, or will we experience the judgment of this world in His Second Coming? The Lord extends His mercy and His Grace to us today. Our “Blessed Hope” will soon be a reality. The following verses tell us exactly what will happen when the Lord returns for those that are awaiting His coming:

“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” (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17).

“Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (2 Thessalonians 4:18).

Are we there yet? Almost, Saints! The “Blessed Hope” is a promise from the Lord to His church. We can know without a doubt that as times wind down, and wickedness increases, our Lord’s coming is near. He will come for us prior to the judgment He will bring on a world that rejects Him. The Lord does not wish that any should perish. Today is the day of Salvation! Tomorrow comes judgment. Maranatha!!

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

Find podcasts of this article, and all the articles on this website on the “Here I Am Lord” podcast on Spotify for Podcasters, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic. Also, Here I Am, Lord is on Telegram.

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com

A Really, Really, Bad Idea

“And David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader……Let us bring again the Ark of God to us: for we enquired not at it in the days of Saul. And all the congregation said that they would do so: for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people” (1 Chronicles 13:1,3,4).

The Ark of God had been abandoned and left standing in a field. It had not been inquired of in 70 years and David found it and wanted to bring it to Jerusalem. He consulted men on this and not God which, as we will see, resulted in disaster. We are to seek the Lord and His ways in all that we do.

“So David gathered all Israel together… to bring up thence the Ark of the Lord, Who dwells between the Cherubim, Whose Name is called on it” (verses 13:5a,6b).

David was bringing the Ark of God to Jerusalem so that it could be inquired of, yet he did not consult the Lord at all regarding this. The ark represented the very Presence of God. He resided between the Cherubim over the Mercy Seat. Moving the Ark of God was the right thing to do, but it was not being done in the way the Lord had instructed Israel to do it.

“And they carried the Ark of God in a new cart….and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. And David and all Israel played before the Lord with all their might, and with singing, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets” (verses 7,8).

At a point in time within the 70 years that the Ark of God had not been consulted, it had been captured by the Philistines. The Lord judged them for this and they sent the ark back to Israel on a new cart. Why David decided to use a new cart, we do not know. But the Philistine’s use of the new cart may have played a part in his decision to use it. The Ark of God was to be carried on the shoulders of the priests when it was moved, and not on a cart. Again, this was clearly spelled out in God’s Word.

“And when they came unto the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the Ark; for the oxen had stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and He smote him, because he put his hand on the Ark: and there he died before the Lord” (verses 9,10).

Again, the Word of God was not consulted and this ended in the death of Uzza. The Bible says David was “afraid of God that day.” A man was dead because the Lord’s Word was ignored. The Bible tells us that David did consult the Word of God after this and the Ark was brought to Jerusalem. But initially, it seems that Uzzah and everyone else was depending on David to know the right way to bring the ark to Jerusalem. They, like David, did not seek the Lord’s way to carry the ark. This was a grave error. This terrible end could have been avoided if they had only sought the Lord first.

We can learn some valuable lessons from this account. Salvation is all of the Lord. He does not need our help. Also, we are to seek the Lord ourselves and not depend on anyone else. We all want godly pastors, but in the end we are responsible before the Lord for following His Word. There are many in Hell today because they trusted in others to show them the way. We are responsible to the Lord for our own Salvation. The Lord’s way is Jesus Christ and Him Crucified. This is where our faith must be daily. If we move our faith to anything else; we are depending on a “new cart.” The Holy Spirit will keep us on the right road, so to speak, as we place our faith in the Lord and His great sacrifice at the Cross.

As previously stated, there is a happy ending to this story. David did bring the Ark of God to Jerusalem. He did it the Lord’s way which was to have the ark carried on the shoulders of the priests as the following verses tell us:

“So David, and all the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord out of Obed-Edom with joy. And it came to pass, when God helped the Levites who bore the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, that they offered seven bullocks and rams. Thus all Israel brought up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making noise with psalteries and harps” (verses 25,26,28).

These sacrifices, and all those offered up in the Old Testament, represented the coming Redeemer and His shed Blood at Calvary which paid the sin debt owed for you and me. New carts are widespread in the church world today. We must be vigilant in our pursuit of the Lord and His ways. Again, placing our faith in anything other than Christ and Him Crucified for our Salvation, or for our Sanctification, represents a “new cart,” and that will not end well.

“Behold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Always Remember,

God Loves You!

Find podcasts of this article, and all the articles on this website on the “Here I Am Lord” podcast on Spotify for Podcasters, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic. Also, Here I Am, Lord is on Telegram.

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2023