Water Walkers!

Water Walkers!

"LORD, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."  (Matthew 14:28)  Hey, we shouldn't be so hard on Peter; after all, would WE have even gotten out of the boat?  You say, "Yeah, but Peter sunk!"  Yeah, but first, he walked on the water  ... until he doubted.  What does the world need?  More "tongue talkers," more Jesus name baptizers," more "Water Walkers!"

"Come," he said.  Then Peter got down out of

the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid;

and beginning to sink, he cried, saying Lord, save me.

And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and

caught him, and said unto him, "O thou of little faith,

wherefore didst thou doubt."

(Matthew 14:29-31)

It's those pesky doubts that get us into trouble every time!   But, we've gotta' hand it to Peter; he did it!  Oh, he sank, but before that, he walked on the water!  What could we do if we did not doubt?  The natural man realizes by the laws of physics, we can't walk on water, but the Lord Jesus Christ invented "physics!"  If He says "Walk" or "Go" or "Stand" or "See" or Hear" or "Breathe" or "Come Forth"  ...  it happens!  The "Water Walker" has all power, all dominion, all Wisdom and  ...  He's "All That!"  

"But when he asks, he must believe and

not doubt, because he who doubts is like

a wave of the sea, blown and tossed

   by the wind."

(James 1:6)

It's interesting to note that Peter was asking the Lord to "tell him" to do the impossible.  It would be like us saying, "Lord, tell me to heal that person's cancer," or Lord, tell me to make that one in the wheelchair walk," or "Lord, tell me to heal that man's deafness."  What we need to remember is that the Lord didn't hesitate; in essence, He said, "Do It;"  He said, "Come!"  O, "we" of little faith;   ...  "water walkers" always get out of the boat!

Peter Sank!

As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he was water walkin', but as soon as he took his eyes off of Jesus and eyed the stormy tumultuous waves, he sank.  We could weather a lot more storms with grace, if we just kept our eyes on Jesus Christ.  Trouble at work?  Trouble with your finances?  Trouble with your marriage?  Troubles all around?  Troubles with "real" tornados, hurricanes and storms destroying your home and you're left with nothing?  You're still here, aren't you?  You say, "You don't know what it's like to lose everything!"  Oh, but I do.  I've lost homes, husband, furniture, been without a job for almost a year, everything, even had to go through Grand Jury trials to convict someone for evil done to my family.  Through it all, as the song says, I've learned to trust in Jesus; I've learned to trust in Him!  I wasn't always full of faith and "walking on the water;" but I made it, with Jesus Christ carrying me; He'll carry you too!

Do you know what we need?  "Spitherinktum!"  You say, "That's not a word!"  You're right; I made it up, but that's what "Water Walkers" do!  They "walk" out of the norm!  They heal diseases; they kick the devil in the teeth and dance in demon blood; they rebuke the winds in the name of Jesus; they raise the lame; they unstop deaf ears; they cast out devils; they "Walk ON Water!"

"And whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." (John 14:13)  Do we believe the Word of God, or not?  Does the Lord Jesus Christ mean what He says or not? 

Are we "Water Walkers?"  ...  or not  ....

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

Sweet Talkin' Evil

"Sweet Talkin' Evil"

"You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good?  For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."   (Matthew 12:34)  Our Lord Jesus Christ "cuts to the chase," doesn't He?  Jesus gets right to the "heart" of the matter.  When what someone says doesn't line up with "their fruits," Beware!  It's just "Sweet Talkin' Evil."

"A wise man's heart guides his mouth, and

his lips promote instruction."

(Proverbs 16:23)

Have you run across people who say they just can't stop cursing?  It's a heart problem!  "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks;" they have a heart problem.  The Bible says that the heart is desperately wicked, "who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)  You've heard people say, "if I know my own heart..."  Wrong!  We don't know our own hearts; none of us do.  Our prayers should include, "Lord, give me a pure heart; cleanse it of all unrighteousness.  Let the words of my mouth be pleasing unto You."

"The good man brings good things out of the

good stored up in him, and the evil man brings

evil things out of the evil stored up in him."

(Matthew 12:35)

Why is this important?  We must guard our hearts; whatever goes in will come out of the mouth.  We can be deceived by smooth-tongued, double-minded, take you for a cleaning, types of people.  Not only can they rob us of our assets, but they amass a following that can lead us into a ditch, if we are not "wise" and very careful.  Herein, brings up THE most valuable point:  If you see someone performing miracles, signs, and wonders, find out the answer to this question, "What is their doctrine?"  I Timothy 4:13, "Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine."  Anyone you run across who says "Doctrine" is not important, turn and RUN!  What we believe, the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord, His death, burial and resurrection, repentance, baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38; Acts 10; Acts 19), are the cornerstone of our faith and salvation.  They are the "Truth;" we must bind Truth around our necks and write it on the tablets of our hearts, (Proverbs 3:3) so that we will not believe a lie and be damned. (2 Thessalonians 2:12)

"The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in His

heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of

man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil

from childhood.  And never again will I destroy all

living creatures, as I have done."

(Genesis 8:21)

We were all born in sin and shapen in iniquity; we need a Savior!  Only Jesus Christ our Lord can take a heart and make it new, cleanse it, wash it, and give us a new "Talk," and a new "Walk."  You say, "OK, but if I need doctrine to give me salvation and a pure heart; how do I know the Bible is true?"  Just "one" proof that the Bible is true is: Have you seen a rainbow lately?  Almighty God said, "I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." (Genesis 9:13)  This is God's promise that He will not destroy the earth by flood again and the rainbow is the "sign" to us; every time you see a rainbow, rejoice!  God keeps His promises! 

The Word says to "Endure to the end."  None of us are perfect, but if we try to live a repentant and Holy life; if we serve the Lord Jesus Christ with all of our hearts, souls, minds and strength, pray, fast, read the Holy Bible, and become His witnesses to everyone we see; we have the tools we need to "guard" us from evil.  That's what it's all about  ...  staying away from "Sweet Talkin' Evil" and that brings our "hearts"  just a little bit closer to Heaven!

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

           

"Spent For YOU"

"Spent For YOU"

"And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved." (2 Corinthians 12:15)  The Apostle Paul said these words, and "spent" for the cause and the people of Christ Jesus, he was!

"Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up

in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's

afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church."

(Colossians 1:24)

Paul and Silas were in prison "singing!"  Oh that we have that kind of faith  ... and he said he rejoiced in his sufferings for the people he served, the church Jesus died for, the souls of God's pasture.  Paul "spent" all he had for the church, not money as such, but he gave his own body; he spent himself that others could be saved.  

In my life, God has taken me through trials, and it seems the same "trial" kept coming up over the years.  When I would ask "why" I had to go through it; the Lord finally replied to me, "I wanted to see if you could prefer your brother."  Romans 12:10 says, "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another."  I've been enduring a very long trial of late, and a few days ago, the Lord said to me, "Now you know what it means to prefer your brother." 

Paul, being stoned

The Apostle Paul learned well the example of our Lord and His sufferings.  Jesus Christ our Lord was "spent" for you and me.  He gave all he had, His life, His blood, His flesh, His dignity on the cross, and He gave it all willingly for the cause of mankind.  There is only One God who did that, and His name is Jesus Christ.  It should have been me and you on that cross, but Jesus Christ "preferred us" and took it upon himself to die that we might live eternally with Him.  It is a little thing for us to "obey" the Word, Acts 2:38, and be baptized in His name and filled with His Spirit, when we consider what He did for us.

Paul, escaping from Damascus

The Apostle Paul spent his life preaching, running, healing, running, teaching, running, exhorting, running, and then being imprisoned  ...  Paul said, "Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have, I give unto thee, rise up and walk."  There he goes again, that Paul, "spending" again!  He spent with his body, and then he spent with "gifts" of the Spirit  ... he gave all he had.

Are we "spending" enough?  Are we preferring, going the second mile; would we go to prison for the cause of Jesus Christ our Lord?  They have, and are, in prison now in many foreign countries for the greatest cause of all.  We don't know what all we will have to face before the Rapture of the Church, but it's time we all go on an extravagant, wild, no holding back, frivolous to some, "spending spree."  After all, our Lord Jesus Christ says every moment of every day to each and every one of us  ... I was "Spent" For YOU!

                                                        

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com. 

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

Grace's Door

Grace's Door

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  (Hebrews 4:15-16)  There's only one way to receive mercy; You have to go through "Grace's Door!"

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation

for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and

worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright,

and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our

blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great

God and Savior Jesus Christ."  (Titus 2:11-13)

The door to Grace is Jesus Christ our Lord!  It is a door of Glory, illumination, power, love, and a sound mind.  The world could use some sound minds today, couldn't it?  What's happening?  Why are people "losing it"  and hurting multitudes of strangers for no apparent reason?  They need Grace's Door; they need the Lord Jesus Christ; they need peace; they need the ONE who has all power to calm "the savage beast" and apply Grace to their tormented souls!  We all need it  ...  and we all attain it One way!  John 14:6 states, Jesus answered, "I am the way the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father (or eternal Spirit) except through me."

"For the law was given through Moses; grace

and truth came through Jesus Christ."

(John 1:17)

The law of Moses came from God, and through him it was given to the Jews.  Clarke's commentary says it like this, "It was a law of shadows types and figures, and incapable of expiating sin by its sacrifices.  But Christ has brought that grace which is opposed to condemnation: and he is himself the spirit and substance of all those shadows."  In other words, the old testament only covered sins for a period of time, with the sacrifices of animals, but Jesus Christ became the "lamb" slain for the world, and His sacrifice "erased" sin forever.  When we ask Jesus to forgive our sins, He does just that and He remembers them no more! 

"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion - behold thy king

cometh unto thee; he is just and haviung salvation: he

is possessed of all power to enrich, strengthen, teach,

enlarge, and raise to glory and happiness, them who

trust in him."  (Clarke's explanation of Zechariah 9:9)

There's a whole lot behind Grace's Door!  Once you walk through it, you'll never be the same; you'll walk different, talk different, think different, work different; your friends and neighbors will look different; your nation will appear different, and your view of the world will be lovingly different!  Why?  Because, the Lord Jesus Christ makes the difference! 

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling

among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of

the One and Only, who came from the Father,

full of grace and truth."

(John 1:14)

The Lord Jesus Christ is the only Door and way to heaven.  Gill's exposition of the Bible says it beautifully: "He is the true God (speaking of Jesus Christ) and eternal life; truly and really man, as a prophet he taught the way of God in truth; as a priest, he is a faithful as well as merciful one; and as a King, just and true are all his ways and administrations: he is the sum and substance of all the truths of the Gospel; they are all full of him, and centre in him; and he is the truth of all the types and shadows, promises and prophecies of the Old Testament."  You wanna' know the bottom line?  He said "I AM,"  ... and  ...  HE IS!  

Why don't you try it?  Please pray this prayer with me:  Lord Jesus, please forgive me of all of my sins, everything I've ever done in my life to displease you.  I come as I am; I've made a mess of my life.  Give me Your mercy and grace; I want to feel Your love, Your forgiveness, and Your peace.  I will be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of all of my sins.  Please fill me with Your Spirit, and I will speak in a language I have never learned as Your Spirit enters my body.  Thank You for Your Grace; I will turn around and walk a different way; lead me and guide me; I turn my back on sin and evil.  I will read Your Word and I will be a witness for You all of my days.  Amen!

God Bless You, dear and precious one of God!  Please don't hesitate to contact promiselandchurch.net for materials to help you and you can also look up theexperience238.com.  It is wonderful, and it will explain all about being filled with the Holy Spirit. 

Welcome to Your new life in Jesus Christ our Lord!  All you had to do was walk through Grace's Door!

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

He Whispers Sweet Peace

He Whispers Sweet Peace

When life is overwhelming, the Lord whispers sweet

peace, and my heart skips a beat

Because I hear His voice; it's the sound of comfort,

from the clouds beyond, and heaven's seat

When life's cares begin to thunder, and fears attempt

their boldface entrance 

I cling to the Word, stand fast in My Lord, and refuse

evil's ploy and debilitating hindrance

Then, the light brightens my pathway, and thrills

my soul with joyful bliss

As I thank Jesus for His mercy, and for giving me

such a blessing, as this

His beauty surrounds me, enfolds me, and caresses

me, in closeness like a glove

And I speak to Him in the Spirit, a tongue of Glory

coming down, in oceans from above

And the skies begin to open; my troubles start

to fade and dissipate 

It is something to behold, the power of God's love,

more than one can anticipate

Suddenly, I rise; I have the impetus to resume,

my orders for the enduring climb

Because the Spirit gives me strength, and the desire

for mountain air, that is Oh so sublime

So, I started on my knees in the throes of all

the troubles, and atrocity

But, the Holy Ghost took me past earth's deletions,

in a wisdom search, with curiosity

Now, standing with hands raised in adoration and praise;

 My Lord gives the mighty release

He knows all the answers, but I'm gathered in His arms,

and He Whispers Sweet Peace!

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips) 

Unseen Seen

Unseen Seen

                                         "And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon;

                                    and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel;

                                       and the Holy Ghost was upon him.  And it was revealed unto him by the

                                 Holy Ghost that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ."

(Luke 2:25-26) 

"And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel,

                                        of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband

                                          seven years from her virginity; and she was a widow of about fourscore

                                             and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God

                                                                  with fastings and prayers night and day."

                                                                                       (Luke 2:36-37)

Simeon and Anna, the two who saw the unseen!  They spent their time in the temple, praying and fasting, expecting any moment to see the Lord Jesus Christ.  Their direction and focus was to pray for the coming Savior of the world and they did this without ceasing.  They were "seeing" the "unseen!"

Noah was another one, who was continually laughed at and scorned, because he saw the unseen!  Many accounts say it took Noah 120 years to build the Ark, yet amidst the ridicule and criticism, his faith did not waver; he was not to be deterred from the orders of His God!

 The Unseen Seen is called Vision.  It can actually be a "vision" of something to come, or a vision of "Faith," such as seeing all the Nations of the world lifting their hands to Jesus Christ our Lord in worship.  You say, "That's utterly preposterous!"  Is it?  Have you read Joel 2:28?  God shall pour out His Spirit upon all flesh!  Both types of "Vision" are reaching beyond ourselves to a Holy place we've never been.  A Christian's outlook is to actually "Out Look;" we must expand our tents and lengthen our cords.  In other words, our vision must be God's vision; our mindset must be God's mind; our direction must lead us to God's line of thought; our goal has to be God's intention; our heartbeat can be none other than God's heartbeat  ...  Souls!  

Joseph, Ezekiel, and John, just to name a few, were motivated by the Unseen Seen!  They were humans just as we are, but what made them people to whom God could show the unseen?  What is it in a person that calls them to see beyond today, to live here but go there, to dream the dreams of unknown places, to dive into the deeps of God's revelation?  The answer encompasses many things, such as "anointing," "calling," "set apart," "chosen;" but the most poignant of all is: "Hunger!"  

We've heard and read the hunger scriptures, "ask, knock, and it shall be opened to you; the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much; seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things shall be added to you; pray without ceasing ..."  But, it comes down to just a simple thing: "YouGotta'ReallyWantIt!" 

                                                      

The world is not our home, we're justa' passin' through, but while we're a' passin' we gotta' grab everybody we see to go with us.  "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."  (Acts 1:8)

My Pastor, Kenneth Phillips, says many incredible things, but one in essence is that the greatest song has not been sung; the greatest book (other than the Bible) has not been written; the most powerful film has not been made; the greatest discovery is yet to be found  ...  you get it!  We all have a place of "stretching" that will lead us to greatness in the Lord Jesus Christ, not for "our" benefit only, but for the benefit of mankind, and for the Glory of our God!        

It's all about seeing past our own back yard, having a groan for the souls of mankind, moving into the inner motive of God Almighty, searching the depths to reach the heights, looking for the invisible among the visible, grasping in the darkness for illumination, foraging the forest for "the" tree, and leaving the known for the unknown!  Not all are willing to do it, but for those who pay the price  ...  

This is not simple; it will be the most soul-wrenching thing you've ever done; it is miraculous mystery; it is unattainable aura; it is galaxies of glory; it is a powerful mind-boggling metamorphosis; it is the impetus of surreal splendor; it is:  "Unseen Seen!"

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)

Life Is In The Blood

Life Is In The Blood

"For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul."  (Leviticus 17:11)

YourLifeIsNotYourOwn!  You have been bought with a price; the Lord Jesus Christ gave His life and shed His own blood for You and me!  What is life?  It's more than our car payments, mortgages, marriage and divorce, crime and holiness, sin and repentance, faith and rebellion; it is functionality in the Blood!  Without blood, there is no life!  Without the blood of Jesus applied to the souls of human beings, there is no life  ... it's just existence.

"God hath made of one blood all nations

  of men."

(Acts 17:26)

         

So, Hey, you're my brother, you're my sister  ...  we all came from one pair, man and woman, from the garden, where God took dust, gave him blood  ... and he lived  ... life is in the blood!  How can we hate one another, when life came from one red tributary of immaculate and miraculous creation by the omnipotent unseen Hand?  The answer is "the blood" of Jesus must be applied; then "life" operates in streams of love. 

"But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced

his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water."

(John 19:34)

The spiritual significance of the "water and blood" from the pierced side of Jesus Christ is the birth of the Church and redemption  ... justification and santification  ...  blood for atonement and water for purification.  "Out of your bodies shall flow rivers of living water;" this spake He of the Spirit that all should receive.  There are three that bear witness in the earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one."  (I John 5:8)  "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one."  (I John 5:7)  ONE sits on the throne  ...  (Revelation 4:3)

The Church is the bride of Christ; the Church came out of His side (blood and water), even as Eve was taken from the side of Adam.  Everything the Lord Jesus Christ does and IS has significance in the blood that He shed for all mankind to give us "Life," and that more abundantly!

"In fact, the law requires that nearly everything

be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding

of blood there is no forgiveness."

(Hebrews 9:22)

We do not have to kill bullocks or lambs as in the old testament, because Jesus Christ is the "Lamb" slain from the foundation of the world.  He shed His own blood, that we might live!  He gave His blood for the sins of all; He drank the cup in the garden, when He sweat great drops of blood, because so great was the burden of taking on every sin ever committed, upon His sinless, guiltless soul and body.  Our lives are saturated with the only blood that makes "alive;" the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ!

If you feel your life is not worth anything; you need to apply the blood!  You are so valuable to the Lord Jesus Christ that He let the "life" flow like gushing rivers, out of Himself  ...  for You!  See the blood flowing down that old wooden cross, and know that You are precious indeed! 

Receive Him as your Savior; repent of all of your sins; be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and you will receive the Holy Ghost and speak in tongues as the Spirit gives you utterance.  (Acts 2:38)  Then, "LIVE!"

(Do this in remembrance of Me)

The Lord Jesus Christ told us in His Word to never forget what He did for us!  Communion halts our habitual, fast pace, earthly actions to bow and suddenly remember where "Life" comes from.  There is only ONE who can "create!"  If we're not enjoying and treasuring "living;" it's because we've forgotten why and how we got here and that: "Life Is In The Blood!"

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)