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In Christ Always Ministry is kicking off soon. But you can check it out now at http://www.inchristalways.org. It is still under construction, but the forums work and we will soon have some Sermons, Bible Studies, Devotions and stuff online for download completely free. Have fun. In Christ, Matt
There is a poll question asking if God hates homosexuals. The answer is no, but a couple folks put yes. I want to give the reason why the answer is no. Jesus Christ died on the cross for all sinners to include the homosexual. Jesus loves all to include the homosexual. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. Jesus came that they (the homosexuals) may have life and have it abundantly. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. The scripture says everyone to include the homosexual. God does not hate homosexuals because he sent his only begotten son to die for the homosexual. Now God does not hate the homosexual, but that doesn't mean He condones homosexual conduct. As a matter of fact homosexual conduct is an abomination in the eyes of God. He does not condone the conduct, but He loves the person doing the conduct. Homosexuals are called to repent and turn from their wicked ways. Jesus Christ died for the homosexual, so God loves the homosexual and doesn't hate them. He hates the conduct that occors with homosexuality. The answer to the poll question is a resounding NO. Have a nice Day!
Praise Jesus  I now have a computer and the internet in my home in Louisiana. So I was mistaken in my previous update. In Christ, Matt
Just a note to keep everyone updated about my status. I signed out of Fort Polk, LA and went on vacation. During the summer my church asked me to stay another year and serve. God's people asked so I had to say yes. I was supposed to start school at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in August 2007. I contacted the seminary and changed my start date to August 2008. I reside in Pitkin, LA. My household goods were shipped to Louisville, Ky during the summer. So, I don't have my computers and have no Internet. I don't miss it either. I am taking this year to homeschool my children. That is my life in a nutshell. Those who have my cell number please keep in touch. You can find me on yahoo mess at matthew_hamrick as I can check that from my cell phone. God bless you all. Have a nice holiday season. In Christ, Matthew
To All my Friends here on JCFAith: I finally signed out of Fort Polk and I am on terminal leave. I don't have an internet feed any longer so I can only sign on when I stumble into a library. I hope to be in Louisville, Ky taking classes on 6 August 2007. I will be back on the net soon after that. Those of you who know my cell please keep in touch. Have a good summer. In Christ, Matthew
There is a poll question asking about the Unforgivable Sin. The answer is Yes, but there are some folks putting No. Please look at Matthew 12:22-32, Mark 3:22-30. Then look at the result in Acts 5:1-11. Have a good day or night. In Christ, Matt
Hello Everyone! The US Army has seen fit to send me to Fort Lewis, Washington for a few days. Actually, I believe God brought me here for a reason. Anyhow, I will be back home and online Feb 18th. God bless you all. In Christ, Matt
Happy 4th of July to Everyone! Our Independence is 230 years old!! Let me take a moment to dispel a myth that is in our Country.
That myth is the so called Separation of Church and State.
The 1st Amendment says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
I am not a judge or lawyer and have no legal interpretation background. However, our Constitution was written at a 7th grade reading level so everyone could understand it 230 years ago. I find it funny that it takes the Supreme court to rule how to interpret it. Seems our judges lack an education as no where in our founding documents does anything say "Separation of Church and State". The 1st Amendment says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." Congress hasn't done anything but our secular judges have.
In fact, the secular worldview that our judges hold is a religion itself. So, it's okay for them to uphold their worldly beliefs and step on my Christian beliefs at the same time. Many churches hold the view that the separation of Church and State should be upheld but not the separation of God and Government. Whatever! It's the same thing. Here is the fact of the Myth.
The truth can be found in ONE NATION under man? THE WORLDVIEW WAR BETWEEN CHRISTIANS AND THE SECULAR LEFT by Brannon Howse.
Most Americans believe the term "separation of church and state" is found in the U.S. Constitution, but it is not. If you're looking for a constitutional source for the idea, however, you will find it in the constitution of the former Soviet Union: "In order to ensure citizens freedom of conscience, the church in the U.S.S.R. is separated from the State, and the school from the church. Freedom of religious worship and freedom of anti-religious propaganda is recognized for all citizens." (Soviet Union Constitution, Article 124)
Consistent with the intentions of those who framed the Soviet constitution, today's secular humanist liberals use the concept to enforce the belief that the religion of God should have no part in American civil government, policy, or laws at any level-local, state, or federal.
But what is the origin and true intent of the phrase "separation of church and state" here in the United States of America? It originated in a letter written by Thomas Jefferson on New Year's Day 1802, to the Danbury Baptist Association. The Baptists had shared with Jefferson their fear that the government might establish a state church. In his letter, Jefferson reassured the group of clergyman that the First Amendment prohibits the U.S. Congress from establishing a state church. To clarify the intent, Jefferson declared that a wall of separation between church and state should be maintained in order to keep the government from interfering with the free exercise of religion: "I contemplate with solemn reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise,' thus building a wall of separation of Church and State." (Thomas Jefferson, letter to Danbury Baptist Association)
In other words, the law is intended to place restrictions on the government, not upon the people!
It is disheartening to note that in 1947, and on numerous occasions thereafter, the U.S. Supreme Court took the phrase "separation of church and state" from Thomas Jefferson's letter and (shamelessly!) inverted the intendend meaning of the phrase. As a result, Thomas Jefferson is now inaccurately perceived as an aggressive deist who wanted a secular America and who wanted to "keep the church in its place." Both ideas are gross misrepresentations of the truth.
Yes, it is disheartening!! Thomas Jefferson penned our Declaration of Independence. Read it yourself! Does it sound like his worldview was to separate the church from the state? I think not! Our secular judges have wrongly interpreted our Constitution. Today we have an attack against Christians in our Country. The attack stops on my watch. I declare today to restore our Country to the way it was meant by our founding fathers by using the same court system and the same secular judges to return to our Godly founding documents to interept the law. Our judges are using International law to interpret American law. They are throwing the Constitution out as if it doesn't exist. Write your Congress legislature to fight this battle against the secular worldview in our country. Then go out and vote and put the Godly candidates in office.
Have a Happy Independence Day! God bless you all!
"How to Walk as an Effective Christian"
6 JUL 06 Transcript for In Christ Always
9 JUL 06 Transcript for Glade Branch Baptist Church, Pitkin, LA
It is a pleasure to be here. The Holy Spirit brought me here today to talk about being an effective Christian. The secular agenda of our country is using our court system to instill their worldly beliefs into our children. Our children are being indoctrinated in our public school system to the way of the world and not to a biblical worldview. Our country is moving away from the original intent of our founding fathers. Let me take a minute and read something that Paul Harvey wrote in the early 1990s.
If I Were the Devil
I would gain control of the most powerful nation in the world;
I would delude their minds into thinking that they had come from man's
effort, instead of God's blessings;
I would promote an attitude of loving things and using people, instead of
the other way around;
I would dupe entire states into relying on gambling for their state revenue;
I would convince people that character is not an issue when it comes to
leadership;
I would make it legal to take the life of unborn babies;
I would make it socially acceptable to take one's own life, and invent
machines to make it convenient;
I would cheapen human life as much as possible so that life of animals are
valued more than human beings;
I would take God out of the schools, where even the mention of His name was
grounds for a lawsuit;
I would come up with drugs that sedate the mind and target the young, and I
would get sports heroes to advertise them;
I would get control of the media, so that every night I could pollute the
minds of every family member for my agenda;
I would attack then family, the backbone of any nation. I would make
divorce acceptable and easy, even fashionable. If the family crumbles, so
does the nation;
I would compel people to express their most depraved fantasies on canvas and
movies screens, and I would call it art;
I would convince the world that people are born homosexuals, and that their
lifestyles should be accepted and marveled;
I would convince the people that right and wrong are determined by a few who
call themselves authorities and refer to their agendas as politically
correct;
I would persuade people that the church is irrelevant and out of date, the
Bible is for the naive:
I would dull the minds of Christians, and make them believe that prayer is
not important, and that faithfulness and obedience are optional;
I guess I would leave things pretty much the way they are!
This is the state of our nation as told by Paul Harvey. If we just ponder and reflect on the spiritual state of our nation we can see how we have failed as a church over the last fifty years. I blame the church for the state of affairs today for failing to stand up and fight. We have a Lord that is a Warrior! He wants us to fight for His Kingdom. How can I witness when it is illegal for me to bring up the name of our Lord in a public platform or on government property? No, we have been ineffective for too long and friend it stops on my watch. If we are going to change our nation we have to start with ourselves in the Body of Christ.
First things first, you must repent and accept Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who died and was resurrected three days later as your Lord and Savior. You can't be a Christian, much less an effective Christian without Christ.
John 3: 3 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
John 3: 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life."
John 14: 6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Friend, I tell you today, Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved, other than Jesus. If you don't know Jesus and have a personal relationship with him, you will have an opportunity today to make your life right. Or maybe you have accepted Jesus, but you have been ineffective living within your sin nature. You can repent and recommit to Jesus as well. If you are ready to be saved, please email me at matthew@inchristalways.org.
Once you accept Christ as your Savior what is next? Please turn to 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-28
I believe these verses are what make an effective Christian. Additionally, please see Psalm 15 because I think that makes an effective Christian as well. Today, we are going to look at 1 Thessalonians.
1Th 5:16 Rejoice evermore.
1Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
1Th 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1Th 5:19 Quench not the Spirit.
1Th 5:20 Despise not prophesyings.
1Th 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
1Th 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Th 5:24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
1Th 5:25 Brethren, pray for us.
1Th 5:26 Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.
1Th 5:27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.
1Th 5:28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. I see five things in this passage that will make you an effective Christian.
1. Quench not the Spirit.
• Quench means to: "extinguish" or "suppress"
• In our soul the Holy Spirit is represented by fire
• Quenching the Spirit takes place when we do not allow the fullness of the Spirit in our lives
• How do we quench the Spirit?
a. By being out of the will of God
b. Not praying or better yet praying wrong and not without ceasing.
c. Having something against our brothers or sisters
d. Failing to give God what is already his.
• John 4:24 "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."
• We must seek to keep our relationship new with God.
• Give the balloon example. Talk about cultivating the Holy Spirit.
2. Despise not prophesyings
• Do not disregard or neglect the instructions you receive
• The Word is full of instructions and "prophesying" which guide us through our Christian lives.
• Jesus taught in parables which were stories for learning
• God has set among us people with a variety of gifts in order to complete his work; we must not question those who are truly called.
• Ephesians 4:11 "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some pastors and teachers;"
• We must take instruction seriously and respect those whom God has called.
3. Prove all things; Hold fast that which is good.
• As I just spoke, God has called people to a work and we must respect those who are called.
• The key is holding to the teachings of the Bible and nothing else.
• II Timothy 2:15 "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
• II Corinthians 11: 13-15, "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."
• Satan can transform what look like good things into works for himself
• We must grow in the Lord so that we might be able to resist his deceitfulness
• 1 John 4:1 "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God: because many false prophets have gone out into the world."
4. Abstain from all appearance of Evil
• 1 Peter 3:17 "For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing."
• We must do more than not to appear evil on the outside, we must keep it out of our heart
• Matthew 23:28 "Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."
• 1 John 5:9 "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son." "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself:"
5. REJOICE EVERMORE
• We as Christians have everything to rejoice about
• Psalm 118:24 "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."
• Romans 8:15 "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."
• We should rejoice because we have victory over this world
• 1 John 5:4 "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." "Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God."
• We should rejoice because we have victory over the grave
• 1 Corinthians 15:55 "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" "The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law." "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
• We should rejoice because we have victory over sin
• Revelation 21:7 "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son."
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