Here I Am, Lord – – tqministries.com

“For sin shall not have dominion over you” (Romans 6:14).

“This then is the Message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie” (1 John 1:4,5).

The Apostle John is addressing this epistle to the church of his day. He is proclaiming to them, and to us, that there is no darkness in God. He is saying that God is light and cannot condone sin of any fashion. He will judge sin whether it be from an unsaved person or a believer. John was countering a teaching at the time known as “Antinomianism” which means “against law” which teaches that we can, as believers, live a sinful life and still have fellowship with the Lord. This teaching was widespread at the time. Bringing this teaching forward to today, there are whole denominations that believe that our faith in Christ covers their continual sinning. This goes completely against the fact that the Lord cannot, and will not, condone sin – no matter who sins. This also goes against the Apostle Paul’s teaching on how we are to walk out our Christian lives to have victory over the sin nature.

The way, and only way, to victory in our Christian walk, is by faith in Christ and Him crucified. The Apostle Paul, in Romans Chapter 6, tells us what takes place spiritually when we come to the Lord in faith. We are “baptized into his death,” “buried with Him by Baptism into death,” and “that like Christ we have been raised up from the dead.” this is a spiritual Baptism into Christ performed by the Holy Spirit who then comes to abide in us. Chapter 8 verse 2 tells us that the Holy Spirit gives us victory over our sin nature in only one way. That way is by faith in Christ and what He accomplished at the Cross. This is a Law of God and is the only way to victory over the Law of Sin and Death which is the law that rules over the unsaved and those within the church who do not know God’s way to victorious Christian living. Going any other way will bring us defeat.

We cannot have the victory we seek by our own efforts. When we talk about the ability to live holy lives before the Lord, we are not talking about sinless perfection, but a victorious walk of victory as we place our faith in Christ and His sacrificial death at Calvary. But what if we do sin? Paul addresses that in the following verses:

“If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8,9)

The Apostle John is acknowledging that the sin nature remains in us as believers and we are deceived if we do not understand that. He goes on to remind us that God is faithful to forgive us of any sin and “cleanse us of all unrighteousness” if we confess our sins to Him.

“If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and His Word is not in us” (1 John 1:10).

The Apostle John is here addressing those who believed in sinless perfection. This goes back to verse 8 where he was addressing this same group that believed that they now had no sin nature and could live a sinless life. This is against what God says in His Word and in effect makes Him a liar. John is saying that if this belief is held then whoever holds it does not know the Bible.

“My little children, these things I write unto you, that you sin not. and if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous” (1 John 2:1).

We are saved from sin. We are not to let it rule in our lives. John affirms all he has said previously by pointing to the answer for all sin and that is our Advocate Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. He is seated on the Right Hand of the Father and makes intercession for us. We are saved by our Faith in Christ and Him Crucified and we are to live our Christian lives in the same manner. It is by faith from first to last. Praise the Lord!

“I am Crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

[Note: There has been a teaching in the church that teaches that chapter 1 of this epistle was written to the unsaved and that beginning with chapter 2 John addresses the church. This is an error. There were no chapter headings when this epistle was written and it was written as one continuous letter. This whole epistle was written to the church. Those advocating that Chapter 1 was written for unbelievers do so to justify the teaching that we need not confess our sins. There is no truth in this. The Lord calls us to confess our sins as John makes clear in chapter 1 of this epistle.]

Prayer Changes Things

The Lord wants us to come to Him with all our needs. Prayer requests can be left on the comments page of this website.

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the Righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers…” (1 Peter 3:12).

The Lord hears our prayers and is faithful to answer.

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. Watch on the “Here I Am, Lord – Our Journey of Faith” channel on YouTube. Also, Here I Am, Lord is on Telegram.

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2024

“Examine Yourselves, Whether You Be in the Faith.” (2 Corinthians 13:5)

“Nevertheless, I have somewhat against you, because you have left your first love.” Revelation 2:4

In the above verse, we have the words of Jesus to the Church of Ephesus as recorded by the Apostle John in chapter 2 of the Book of Revelation. The Lord commended them by saying: “I know your works, and your labor, and your patience, and how you cannot bear them which are evil (those that had departed from the truth) and have tried them which say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars: and have borne (kept on going), and have patience (persevering even when things are not going well), and for My Name’s sake have labored, and have not fainted (earnest and unrelenting in their efforts).”

It would appear to anyone looking at this church that it was a very sound church. The Lord commended them for their works, labor, patience, and the fact that they had identified and rejected the evil of false doctrine trying to slip into the church. False apostles had come to them and they had tried their doctrine and found it false. Everything about this church looked good from all appearances.

However, the Lord had this to say to them: “Nevertheless, I have something against you, because you have left (left not lost) your first love.” So, what did the Lord mean when He said that they had left their first love? He meant that they had departed from the Cross as the object of their faith. When they were first saved, they had a great love for the Lord and what He had done for them on the Cross and had placed their faith totally in Him for all their needs. Their faith in the Lord and what He accomplished on the Cross allowed the Holy Spirit to work in their lives and bring “life” and victory to them. By leaving their first love, they had transferred their faith from Jesus and Him Crucified to other things. They had, in effect, separated Jesus from the Cross which always leads to disaster. That is another Jesus.

The Apostle Paul spoke of this other Jesus in the Epistle to the Galatians when he said: “I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him Who called you into the Grace of Christ (by the Cross) unto another gospel (anything other than the Cross). Paul goes on to say: “But though we, or an angel from Heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached to you (Christ Crucified), let him be accursed (eternally condemned).” Paul said this twice in Galatians (1:8 & 1:9) showing just how serious it is to depart from faith in Jesus and what He accomplished at the Cross. Jesus cannot be separated from what He did at the Cross. As we have said: to do so is to look to another Jesus. It is by faith in Who He is (God come in the Flesh), and what He accomplished on the Cross, that saves us and keeps us.

The Lord goes on to tell the Church of Ephesus: “Remember therefore from where you have fallen (they had fallen from Grace), and repent, and do the first works (come back to the Cross).” He then goes on to tell them what the result will be if they do not repent: “Or else I will come unto you quickly, and I will remove your candlestick (light rejected results in light removed).” After being commended for so much by the Lord; His rebuke identified such a serious problem, that without repentance it would destroy the church.

The Lord is patient and longsuffering towards us, but we must ever guard against shifting our faith away from the Cross to anything else, no matter how good it might seem. Our love for the Lord and our total faith in Him for all our needs is our “first love”. As Paul reminded the Corinthians: ” Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith (Christ Crucified); prove your own selves (make certain).” These words from the Lord through Paul were spoken to those in the church, not the unsaved; we would be wise to remember them today as well. The first and greatest commandment is to: “Love the Lord thy God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind”. This must come first in this dispensation of Grace as well. It is our love for Him (“We love Him because He first loved us”), and our faith in what He has accomplished at the Cross for us, that allows all the blessings of God to come to us. We are “in Christ”. In Him, we stand. When our faith is placed in the Cross we have:

Freedom In Christ

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free (free by faith in Christ and Him Crucified to live a holy life), and not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage (law of any kind).”(Galatians 5:1 with commentary)

Led By The Holy Spirit – With The Fruit of The Spirit Developing

“But the fruit (fruit singular- they grow equally): of the Spirit (not of man) is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness temperance: against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22,23 with commentary)

See the Victorious Christian Living page on this website. Link Below.

https://wordpress.com/page/tqministries.com/211

Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com

The Ascension

“And when He had spoken these things (last instructions to His followers), while the beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight (the Shekinah Glory of God, which enveloped Christ as He ascended) (Acts 1:9 ESB commentary).

Wow! Imagine being present and watching as the Lord ascended to return to His Father. The Apostles had experienced so much in the past three and one half years. They witnessed incredible healings, the Lord’s amazing teachings, and His love and care for them. The crucifixion came and great sadness came their way. Three days later they had great joy with the Resurrection restoring their Lord to them. And now, their precious Lord was leaving to return to His Father and their must have been great sadness along with the incredible experience of witnessing His Ascension.

“And while they looked steadfastly toward Heaven as He went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel (Angels); which also said, you men of Galilee, why do stand gazing up into Heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into Heaven, so shall come in like manner as you have seen Him go into Heaven” (Acts 1:10,11).

Saddened by the Lord’s departure, the Angels reminded them of the Lord’s promise to return (the Second Coming). The mention of His return by the Angels must have reminded the Apostles of what the Lord had told them just prior to His crucifixion. He said that He would leave them soon, but that He would come again and receive them to Himself which speaks of the Rapture of the church. The Angels told them just how He would come at the end of age, that is, at the end of the Great Tribulation. They told them that the Lord would descend at the very place that He had ascended (Mt Olivet), and in the same manner, at the Second Coming only with a Glory that the world had never seen.

“For as the lightening comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:27).

So what were the Lord’s last words to His beloved followers. Our introductory verse references these. They are of extreme significance as they were His last instructions to those present and to those that would follow down through the years. He told them the following:

“But you shall receive power, after that thee Holy Spirit is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of earth” (Acts 1:8).

The Lord was telling them that the Holy Spirit would now come to help them and, in fact, abide within them. This was made possible by His sacrificial death on the Cross to pay the sin debt. They would be empowered by the Holy Spirit for victory over sin (Romans 8:2), and would receive power and leading to proclaim the Gospel (Acts 1:8 -the Baptism with the Holy Spirit). The Lord had not left them alone, but would come to them through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

It is the same for us today. As believers, we have the Holy Spirit living within us and leading us in work of the Kingdom. The Lord commanded us to occupy until He comes, which calls for living a Holy life and sharing the greatest news the world has ever heard with this fallen world. He came and paid the price at Calvary so that we could be saved from our fallen nature and brought into relationship with the Father and the Son. We are to share our certain hope of His soon return with all those that we meet. We’ll close with the Lord’s last words to us in the last chapter of the Book of Revelation which closes out the Bible.

“I am the Alpha an the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and last. He (Jesus) which testifies these things says, Surely I come quickly (suddenly)” (Revelation 22:13,20).

Prayer Changes Things

The Lord wants us to come to Him with all our needs. Prayer requests can be left on the comments page of this website.

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the Righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers…” (1 Peter 3:12).

The Lord hears our prayers and is faithful to answer.

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. Watch on the “Here I Am, Lord – Our Journey of Faith” channel on YouTube. Also, Here I Am, Lord is on Telegram.

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2024

A Heavenly Welcome For a Martyr

“Who (Jesus Christ) is gone into Heaven, and is on the right Hand of God; Angels and authorities and powers being made subject to Him” (1 Peter 3:22).

The Lord Jesus, having been victorious at the Cross, is now seated on the Right Hand of the Father. He paid the sin debt for all mankind and rose victorious from the grave and is now highly exalted with Angels and authorities and powers being made subject to Him. Jesus spoke of this power after his Resurrection in the following verse:

“And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, All power is given to Me (by the Father) in Heaven and in Earth” (Matthew 28:18).

After his Resurrection the early church went forth in His Name. It is recorded in the Book of Acts that “many wonders and signs were done by the Apostles.” Great persecution came upon the church in Jerusalem with many believers arrested. Because of this there was great need among the believers and the first deacons were appointed because of the complaints of Grecian believers regarding the lack of care for their widows. The twelve Apostles appointed seven men regarding this need. One of the seven was Stephen.

Stephen was a man “full of faith and the Holy Spirit” and that he “did great wonders and miracles among the people.” Certain Jews in Jerusalem arose and began to dispute with Stephen. They were unable to “resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spoke.”  The future Apostle Paul, then known as Saul, was among their number. They brought false witnesses against Stephen accusing him of saying things  that he did not say.

Stephen defended himself, and the faith, with the longest recorded sermon in the Bible outside of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount and the Olivet Discourse. His words hit hard against the Jews and leaders who were present. The Bible said they were “cut to the heart.” and “gnashed on him with their teeth.” The Holy Spirit had them come face to face with the truth and their reaction to the Truth of God’s Word was to  martyr Stephen. The Word says the following:

But he (Stephen) being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into Heaven, and saw the Glory of God, and Jesus standing on the Right Hand of God” (Acts 7:55).

They stoned Stephen, with Saul, the future Apostle Paul, witnessing and approving of this heinous act. The Lord Jesus Christ, seated at the Right Hand of God, stood to welcome His martyr home. What a picture!

We may experience persecution from those that claim to be Christians, but have not been born again. Just as the religious leaders of that day came against Stephen for responding to their threats with the Word of God; we too are to stand upon the Word of God. It may bring persecution or even martyrdom as it did Stephen, but we will be standing on the Truth and we will see the Glory of God and our blessed Savior when our days here are complete. We can rejoice in this knowledge today and eagerly await the Lord’s coming for His church in the Rapture.

The Lord loves us and died for us on the Cross. We acknowledge that love and are born into the Kingdom of God by repenting of our sins and placing our faith in His sacrificial death at Calvary. He loves us and awaits are being with Him for eternity when are life here is done. The Bible tells us that “absence from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Yes, when we do pass from this life, we will immediately be in the presence of the Lord. And yes, should we be here at the time of His return for the church we will be “raptured”without experiencing natural death and we will be with the Lord forever. We’ll close with the Words of our Lord in the Gospel of John. He spoke these words just prior to His Crucifixion and they contain a great promise for all who love Him and are alive at the time of his return.

“As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that He lay down his life for his friends. In My Father’s House are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself” (John 15:9,13 & 14:2,3).

Prayer Changes Things

The Lord wants us to come to Him with all our needs. Prayer requests can be left on the comments page of this website.

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the Righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers…” (1 Peter 3:12).

The Lord hears our prayers and is faithful to answer.

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. Watch on the “Here I Am, Lord – Our Journey of Faith” channel on YouTube. Also, Here I Am, Lord is on Telegram.

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2024

A Fictional Narrative

Once upon a time, there was a king, and his kingdom was magnificent. The royal castle was huge and extraordinarily appointed with the finest of everything. He had many happy subjects that all lived within the confines of the kingdom.

It hadn’t always been that way. At an earlier time, one-third of his subjects rose up against the king siding with an evil subject who wanted to be king. Our king was more powerful than the evil subject and his followers and he banished them from the kingdom.

In a matter of time, the king sent two of his subjects to a land on the outskirts of the kingdom. They were to work the land and rule it for the king. The only royal order the king gave them was that they were not to cross over into the land of the evil king; the very one who had been banished from the kingdom.

The two subjects were happy in their new home. The new land was beautiful and was dressed with many fruit trees and wonderful surroundings.

Time passed with the two enjoying their new home and meeting with the king when he came to visit. Everything was grand and the two enjoyed their new life immensely. However, they did notice that the land that ran adjacent to theirs seemed to contain much beauty as well. The king of that land was the evil subject who had been banished, and he encouraged them to come for a visit. He promised that he would give to them from the goodness of his land and show them how they might be a king. In time, the two did cross over and did partake of what that land had to offer. However, once they were there, they felt guilty for they had disobeyed the royal order of their king who had been so good to them.

Shortly thereafter, their king came for a visit and called out to them. They were across the border in the land of the evil king and could not get back to their wonderful land. The king told them that they had lost the privilege of living in their land, but that he had a plan that would bring them out of the evil land and home to him in his magnificent castle one day.

The plan involved the king’s son who would come to rescue them from the evil land by providing a way out. The son did come and showed them the way to all the goodness of the kingdom. He was accompanied by a helper who aided the son in all that the son did. The evil king, however, was able to kill the son. With that done, the evil king thought he had won and that the two would have to stay with him and that he could make them his servants forever. What he didn’t realize was that the good king would now reclaim the evil king’s land and destroy him and his kingdom because he had shed innocent blood by killing the king’s only son and heir.

And then, the most astounding thing happened. With the aid of the helper, the son rose from the dead and pointed the way home to the two. He told them that he was returning to his father, but that he would return to bring them home and that they were to expect that his return could come at any time. He also left the helper behind to show them the way. The helper told them that the only way home was to believe in what the son had done for them in coming and dying to free them. The helper encouraged them by telling them exactly what the son had told them before he left. He continually told them that the son loved them and that he was within the walls of the castle preparing a place for them for when they returned. He told the two to have complete faith in the son as they waited for his return. The evil king did all he could to discourage the two, but they listened to all they were told and had faith in the son, believing that he would one day return for them.

One grand day it happened; the son appeared in a most glorious and breathtaking way. The son took them to the king’s magnificent castle where there was a grand banquet to welcome them home. The two were finally home to stay and they lived happily ever after in the presence of the king who made them joint-heirs of the kingdom with the son.

This, of course, is a fictional tale and has a happy ending. Well, The Greatest Story Ever Told, a true account, has the happiest ending of all time for all believers. The Bible says, “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) And as the words of the song say:” We are on our way to Heaven and the journey gets sweeter every day.” First Thessalonians tells us what the end result will be: “and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” Hallelujah.

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Tom Quinn Ministries -tqministries.com 2020

A Fictional Narrative

“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation …..” (Hebrews 2:3)

There once was an extremely successful company owned by a wonderful family. The father oversaw everything at the company. His son was the creative force of the company and was sent out on special projects by the father, and a third member of the family had the responsibility of putting all their plans into practice. They worked as a unit to successfully accomplish all the objectives of the company.

In time, the company issued a directive stating that it would open a new facility in another country. The chosen country was poor by most standards, but the company felt that their way of doing business would work well there and that they would be providing a way for those in this country to come out of the poverty that was so prevalent there.

The operation was opened and the workers were given all the tools needed for success. This satellite operation prospered for a period of time. However, the workers became lifted up in their pride and began ignoring the directives from the home office.

The father sent several of his top executives at different times to try and gain the cooperation of the workers. They not only did not listen to those sent to them, but they mistreated them. The operation began to do very poorly as a result of the workers not following the well-proven directives of the home office.

The father thought that if he sent his son, surely they would listen to him. However, they did not listen to the son. In fact, they treated him poorly as well. The father ended up closing down the company due to their not listening to the company’s directives and mistreating those he sent, especially his son. The result was devastating for those that worked for the company. In their pride, they had brought trouble upon themselves and their families. What might have been a blessing to their country and the workers ended with many of them being scattered to other countries and unable to take care of themselves and their families.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6).

The story of the company corresponds to Israel’s history up to the current day. They were chosen by God as the only nation on earth at that time to serve the God of the Heavens. They were entrusted with His Word. They became lifted up and rebellious and started serving the gods (idols) of the nations around them. He sent His prophets to show them the right way. They rejected the prophets He sent because they had lost their way and had ceased following the Heavenly directives. God sent His Son and they rejected Him and saw to it that He was nailed to a cross. In AD 70, the Romans laid siege to Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple. Many of the Jews were killed. They had rejected God, His Son, and His way, and lost their place in the land. Because of this they were scattered throughout the world and have suffered greatly over the last almost two thousand years. The Lord has not forgotten His people, and all Israel will be saved when Jesus returns in the last days at the end of the Great Tribulation, but it cost the nation dearly due to their rejection of God and His ways all these many years.

” And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, there shall come out of Sion the Deliverer (Jesus Christ), and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob (Israel)” (Romans 11:26).

We have a similar decision before us today. The Father has given us His Word that we might be blessed in this life. The Son has come and paid the price that we might be partakers of the divine nature. The Holy Spirit has come that He might live in us; changing us by His mighty power. We have been offered much. How will we respond? Will we follow the heavenly directives? Will we acknowledge the price the Son paid that we might have newness of life? Will we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit and be changed?

We have a choice today. Just as the employees of our company in the story had. They chose poorly. They thought they knew better than the benefactor that tried to lift them out of their poverty and bring blessing into their lives. We have been offered blessings today. We need only to accept what has been offered. The day will come when God will bring judgment on this world. Today, we can make the decision to accept His way and come into the safety of His protection. The Lord is patient and does not want anyone to perish. However, there is coming a day when God will judge the inhabitants of the earth. Acts 17:31 says this of that day: ” For He (God the Father) has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man (Jesus Christ) He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him (Jesus) from the dead (by the power the Holy Spirit).” The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have spoken. The Heavenly directives are clear.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)

Prayer Changes Things

The Lord wants us to come to Him with all our needs. Prayer requests can be left on the comments page of this website.

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the Righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers…” (1 Peter 3:12).

The Lord hears our prayers and is faithful to answer.

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. Watch on the “Here I Am, Lord – Our Journey of Faith” channel on YouTube. Also, Here I Am, Lord is on Telegram.

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2024

“….. We Shall See Him As He Is.”

“Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God……” (1 John 3:1)

We are sons (and daughters) of God by way of adoption through our being born again, or born from above. We hear it said today regarding all of mankind that we are all children of God. In the sense of creation, this a certainly true; God created us all. However, in the sense of relationship, this is not true. To have a relationship with the Lord, we must come to Him in repentance and faith, believing that Jesus paid for our sins on the cross. The Lord cannot call us His own unless this is done. In the first chapter of the Gospel of John, it says: “But as many, as received Him (Jesus), to them He gave power to become the sons of God, even to them who believe on His Name.” We can see from this verse that becoming a son of God is conditional. We are not sons, or daughters, of God by natural birth, but by rebirth in the Spirit. Again, when we place our faith in Jesus and His great work at the cross we are born into the family of God by faith.

“……Therefore the world knows us not, because it knew Him not.” (1 John 3:1)

The world does not acknowledge that we are sons and daughters of God by relationship to Him through faith because it does not acknowledge Jesus as the only way to God. 1 John says, “Whoever denies the Son, the same has not the Father.” There are those today that believe that there is a God but they do not acknowledge that He sent His Son as the savior of all mankind. Or if they do, do not place their faith in the Son and His great work at the Cross to establish a relationship. So, they do not understand that the means of Salvation and relationship with the Lord must comes only by repentance from our sins and faith in Christ and His sacrificial death at Calvary.

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God and it does not yet appear what we shall be…” (1 John 3:2)

The above verse is stating that even though we do not yet have our glorified bodies that we will receive in the resurrection, we are “sons of God” today in the same sense as we will be then. We will be changed by the Lord at the resurrection, but our relationship with the Lord is established now as we come to Him in faith. The Lord has not revealed to us in total all we shall be when we receive our glorified bodies, but we are no less sons of God today then we will be after we receive our glorified bodies.

The Lord will come for His church at the time of the Rapture. All those redeemed both living and dead will be caught up to be with Him forever. 1 Thessalonians says, “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 will rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up (Raptured) together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.” All believers including both the resurrected dead and those which are alive at the time of His return will be caught up to be ever with the Lord. All the redeemed will receive their glorified bodies at this time. This event, the Rapture of the church, is part of the first resurrection.

“….But we know that when He (Jesus) shall appear we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (1John 3:2).

This verse tells us that our glorified bodies will be like His. Philippians 3:20 says in part that we are: “eagerly waiting to welcome, the Lord Jesus Christ, and to receive Him to ourselves; Who shall change the outward appearance of the body of humiliation so as to conform it to an outward expression like to the body of His glory.” We are currently like Him spiritually in that we have been born of the Spirit and we are being conformed more and more spiritually to His likeness by the Spirit’s sanctifying work in our lives every day. The glorified body will conform our “outward expression” to be like “the body of His glory.”

“Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body.” (Philippians 3:21)

Wow, what great things we have to look forward to in the future. We will no longer be limited to this world. There will be no more sin nature, death will be no more, no more tears, no more pain or sickness. We are created beings and not God, but we will come into the fullness of being sons and daughters of God. When Jesus appeared to His Disciples after His resurrection He could appear and disappear at will and could pass through walls. Although not specifically addressed in the Bible some say that with the glorified body travel will be at the speed of thought. We’ll have to wait and see on the travel, but it goes without saying, our glorified bodies will be a vast improvement over the tent we now dwell in.

We will also see Him as He is. We can only see Him now as He is by faith for, in our current bodies, we could not look upon the Lord of glory. At the Rapture, we will receive our glorified bodies and look upon the Lord and see Him as He is. Although this will be truly amazing and we yearn for that day, the greatest promise we have regarding our future is that we will be with the Lord evermore. We are truly blessed now and have the sure hope of the Lord’s promises for the future awaiting us

“And every man who has this hope in Him (the resurrection) purifies himself (we are sanctified by placing and keeping our faith in Christ and Him crucified. It’s the only way).” (1 John 3:3)

Prayer Changes Things

The Lord wants us to come to Him with all our needs. Prayer requests can be left on the comments page of this website.

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the Righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers…” (1 Peter 3:12).

The Lord hears our prayers and is faithful to answer.

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. Watch on the “Here I Am, Lord – Our Journey of Faith” channel on YouTube. Also, Here I Am, Lord is on Telegram.

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2024

There’s a Storm Coming

A Fictional Narrative – Originally Published in 2019

“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15,16)

There was once a very remote village with a population of several hundred. There came to this village a traveler one day. He spoke of a king and a kingdom that were seeking subjects. The villagers listened to the man as he presented the kingdom to them, but they did not feel they needed a king or a kingdom and went about their business paying no heed to what the man presented. There was one exception to this; one man in the village listened intently to the story of this king and kingdom and told the traveler that he wanted to become part of the kingdom.

“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

The traveler told the man that the only requirement for becoming a part of this kingdom under the king was to admit that he needed what the kingdom had to offer. The man did just that and became part of the kingdom. The traveler stayed for some time and told the man all about the wonderful king and kingdom.

After a period of time, the traveler told the man that he needed to leave the village. He said he had been sent by the king to reach as many villages as he could with the message of the kingdom. The king was now calling him to continue on his journey. He would go on to the next remote village with the good news of the wonderful king and kingdom.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)

Before the traveler left, he gave the man a book that had all the information that the man would need regarding the king and kingdom. He told the man to read the book every day and that it would encourage him and reinforce all the traveler had told him. The man was sad to see the traveler go but thanked him profusely for telling him about the kingdom. He told the traveler that the words of the kingdom had changed his life for the better and that he would seek to share the message with the other villagers.

“For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a shout …..(1 Thess. 4:16)

Before the traveler departed on his journey to other villages; he told the man something most incredible. He said that one day the king himself would come for his servants and take them to live with the king forevermore. The traveler told him that all of this was written in the book for the man’s encouragement.

After the traveler’s departure, the man went throughout the village telling all those that would listen of all the wonderful news of the kingdom. The villagers at first listened, but most did not accept what the man told them. He showed them the book and told them of the one day return of the king to take those that had become part of the kingdom away to be with him. Over time, they became angry with the man, mistreated him, and would avoid him whenever possible. The man did not give up. He heralded the good news of the kingdom throughout the village each day.

“Then we which are alive and remain will be caught up …… to meet the Lord in the air…” (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

One day the villagers realized that the man and all those that had believed his words were missing. They searched the village for them, but they were nowhere to be found. They remembered his words about the kingdom. They searched his home and found the book he carried with him everywhere. The book had been left on the desk opened to the story of the sudden return of the king for those that were part of his kingdom. The villagers remembered that the man had told them all about these things when he spoke to them about the kingdom.

There were some in the village that took to heart the message the man had brought them. They encouraged each other each day with the words of the book. They also warned the other villagers about a terrible end that was spoken of in the book for those that were not part of the kingdom. The villagers listened at first, but then told those with the message from the book to leave them alone and not bother them any longer. The villagers said they had their lives to live and did not want their lives interrupted or troubled by these words.

“For then shall be great tribulation … (Matthew 24:21)

What the villagers did not realize, was that there was a great storm coming that would destroy their village and take many lives. And although all those in the village would go through the coming storm, there was a place of security for those in the king’s kingdom. As the storm began to bear down on their village, with certain destruction inevitable, the villagers continued living their normal lives unaware of their final end.

THE HOUR IS LATE!

Today, the Lord is calling out to all those that will hear and come to Him. We are promised no more than today. Today is the day of salvation. Won’t you come to Him and enter His rest.

“Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Prayer Changes Things

The Lord wants us to come to Him with all our needs. Prayer requests can be left on the comments page of this website.

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the Righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers…” (1 Peter 3:12).

The Lord hears our prayers and is faithful to answer.

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. Watch on the “Here I Am, Lord – Our Journey of Faith” channel on YouTube. Also, Here I Am, Lord is on Telegram.

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2024

The Peace of God in These Troubled Times

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ ” (Romans 5:1).

With all that is going on in the world today we might let the troubles we see all around us affect our lives in a negative way. However, when we look to the Lord and remember that He has told us in His Word that in the last days before His return things would be just as we see them today. Our world has continued its downward spiral since our first parents disobeyed the Lord in the Garden. Sin is the problem and it has wreaked havoc down through the years. We are witnessing the end result of most of the world rejecting God and going their own way; the sin problem only gets worse. The world as a whole, is lost, and undone. 

We, as believers, have seen the light of the Gospel and are blessed with the Salvation of our souls. We have become a new creation and are kept by faith in Christ and His finished work at Calvary. The following verse says it well:

….But you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God: (1 Corinthians 6:11).

When we come to the Lord in repentance and faith we are washed, sanctified, and justified. We have peace with God as our introductory verse tells us. The Lord Jesus paid the price at Calvary that we might be forgiven of our sins and, by faith, become children of God. We are washed, meaning that we are cleansed from all sin. We are sanctified meaning, that we are set apart for God and it reflects our postion in Christ. Having been washed and sanctified we are also justified which declares us Righteous in the sight of God. All of this comes by faith in the Lord’s provision of Salvation we find at Calvary.

We have peace with God and are in His special care through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The Father sent His Son to die on a cruel Cross that we might come into the family of God by faith in our Lord’s great sacrifice. We are joint heirs with Christ. What, me worry? No, through His Mercy and Grace we are safe in the care of our great God. Knowing this, we look in faith and trust to the One Who loves us.

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you: because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3).

The Cross was the display of this love for us for all to see. When we placed our faith in Christ and Him crucified, we experienced the keeping power of God through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence. The result is a peace that passes understanding and “joy unspeakable and full of glory,” What, me worry? No, my faith and trust is in the God of my Salvation Who loved me and gave His life for me,

We have peace with God and the peace of God as we walk out our lives.  All that we see going on in the world can cause us to focus on the trouble we see brewing here and around the world, but if we focus our thoughts on the Lord, realizing that He controls all things, we will walk in that peace. As has been stated, our object of faith must be Christ and Him crucified which is our anchor. The Holy Spirit is within us and watches over us leading us through our life in this fallen world. Also, the Lord has given us His Word which prophesied just how the things in our world would be just prior to His coming.

What, me worry? No, my God has all things concerning me in hand and I walk out this life knowing that He loves me and cares for me. At Calvary the Lord proved His love and care for us. We walk out this life by faith in the One that loves us and died on the Cross that we can experience His peace in our lives. Though we might be perplexed regarding some of what we might see going on around us, we know Who holds the future and we walk out our lives serving the Lord with the knowledge that the Lord will soon return for us and His coming just might be today.

“Be you therefore ready also: for the Son of Man comes at an hour you think not” (Luke 12:40).

Prayer Changes Things

The Lord wants us to come to Him with all our needs. Prayer requests can be left on the comments page of this website.

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the Righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers…” (1 Peter 3:12).

The Lord hears our prayers and is faithful to answer.

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. Watch on the “Here I Am, Lord – Our Journey of Faith” channel on YouTube. Also, Here I Am, Lord is on Telegram.

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Here I Am, Lord – Tom Quinn Ministries – tqministries.com 2024